A Demon Lord's Hero
by Fahad09
Summary: When I sold my soul to the Devil, I thought I was prepared for anything. I wasn't. I didn't expect him to be a her. Or dressed up as a magical girl carrying a pink wand tipped with a cheerful yellow star. Her being a prankster however didn't come as much of a surprise. You know, the Bible would have been a whole lot more interesting if they included stuff like this. Complete AU
1. Chapter 1: A Different Beginning

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or High school DxD, just the original concepts and plot in this story. This Crossover is a complete AU**

This is also my first fic, so tell me what you think.

A Different Beginning

When I came to, I was in a burning field.

I guess there was a big fire. The familiar town had turned to ashes, and it looked like the remains of a battlefield from a movie. But that didn't last long either. The fire had died down by the time the sun rose. The tall wall of flame had shortened, and most of the buildings had fallen.

…It felt strange, being the only thing in that place that still had its original form. I was the only one who was still alive around here. I must have been really lucky, or my house was built in a very lucky spot. I don't know which it was, but the point is, I was the only one left alive.

I felt that since I survived, I should live on. I started walking aimlessly because I thought it would be dangerous to just stay there. I wasn't really concerned about getting burned up like the people lying around me. …Probably because, over and above not wanting to be like them, I had a stronger feeling in my mind.

But still, I had no hope.

It was already a wonder I was still alive, so I couldn't expect to be saved. I won't survive. Whatever happens, I won't be able to escape from this red world. It was such an absolute hell that even a small child could understand it.

And I collapsed.

Was it because there was no air? Was it because I had nothing left to give in my body?

Either way, I collapsed and stared up at the clouded sky.

A mountain of corpses.

People crumbling away.

A time when everyone wished for help, yet none received any.

That was painful. It was so painful that even living was painful, and I even thought I would be at ease if I just disappear.

With a fading consciousness, I reached out for no reason. I didn't reach out seeking help. I just thought the sky was a long way away.

…In my last moments, that what I thought.

And then, my mind faded away, and the raised hand fell to the ground.

…No.

It should have fallen to the ground.

A big hand grasped the falling hand.

That person came into the fire to save anybody and found me.

…I remember that face.

A figure of a man, with tears welling in his eyes, delighted from the bottom of his heart that he has found someone alive. It was because he looked so happy…

…I even thought that he was the one that was saved, not me.

So, looking enviable even in my dying eyes, the man saved an unfamiliar child as if thanking something.

And yet, all I could think of as I was captivated by that dazzling smile of his was…

Was he smiling…

…because of me?

* * *

><p><em>I remember our first meeting perfectly.<em>

Over a field of grass, dyed red by the setting sun, a sphere of light flickered to life. It pulsed weakly for a moment, its blue light wavering in the air before finally gaining strength and solidifying.

_How could I not?_

Slowly, almost hesitantly, it began to move through the air, leaving a trail of shimmering light in its wake. Twisting and turning but never rising or falling, the sphere began to pick up speed as an image began to form from its trailing lights.

Like a paintbrush on canvas, the sphere drew a circle in the air. And within that circle was another circle, and third one within the second. Between the borders of the circles were strings of archaic runes, numbering in the hundreds, leisurely revolved within the limited space within the boundary of the circles.

When the sphere at last appeared to have finished its work, it hung in place, motionless for a few moments before slowly drifting towards the very heart of the design, to the small patch of empty space located in the middle of the smallest circle.

Aligning itself in the center of the magic circle, it pulsed once, and then twice before it unfolded like the petals of a flower. The former sphere twisted into a new form, a two-dimensional shape that was clearly a symbol of some kind though one far too complex to be a mere rune and vaguely resembled a stylized necklace.

Once the symbol was completely formed, it started to glow. Radiating a light so bright and blue, it appeared to have been set aflame from within, which soon begun to spread as the rest of the magic circle began to glow in turn.

Once the circle began to shine to the point that it was almost too bright to see, a figure started to emerge from the surface of the circle. The top of her head was the first thing to appear, revealing a raven black mane, which was soon followed by the rest of her body. Once her feet were pulled out of the magic circle, she hung above the circle, momentarily suspended in the air as her toes dangled just inches above the circle.

Its job now completed, the magic circle began to disperse into molts of blue light which soon faded in to nothing. The figure slowly drifted to the ground, and once her feet was firmly planted on the ground, she opened her eyes.

They were baby-blue eyes with just the barest hint of the green of them. She was a small woman, one that could easily described as petite, though one impossible to be mistaken for a child due her full formed figured. Her hair was worn in pigtails that was held in place with violet ribbons, and she was dressed in what appeared to be a magical girl costume made out of pink and white cloth. She held a matching colored wand tipped with a star in her right hand, while with her other hand, she shaded her eyes as she gazed around the place she found herself in with open curiosity.

_It's not every day that a Maou gets to meet a hero after all. Being summoned by one was a rare event, to say the least._

Surrounding her were swords. Peerless swords out of legend were planted point first into the ground around, spreading outwards towards the distant horizon, numbering so many that they were beyond counting. In the gold and crimson skies above her hung metal gears. They were suspended in the air with nothing to support them as they ever so slowly, turned and grinded against one another. Their smooth, steely exterior was polished so thoroughly that they acted like mirrors, reflecting the cloudy skies on their surface.

_Let alone one from another world_

But she paid them no mind as something else had captured her attention.

_Usually the only heroes who come looking for me are of the variety that are trying to slay me._

Stepping forward, she began to make her way between the swords towards the one that had held her interested. She didn't travel far before she stopped just outside the edge of the magic circle that was carved into the ground.

Eyes wide with wonder, she gazed at the figure seated within.

It was a young man approaching the end of his teenage years. His hair was colored with an auburn red, though he had a streak of white staining one of his bangs, with eyes of brown so bright that they were almost gold. He was tall for his age, topping six foot in height, though he didn't look it sitting on the ground as he currently was.

Cradled in his arms was little girl, barely a teenager. With hair white as snow and skin so pale, she looked ethereal, like something out of this world. Almost like a fairy out of legend. The colours of her eyes could not been seen as they were hidden behind her closed eyelids. With a peaceful smile adorning her face, she would have looked like nothing more than a slumbering child if not for the unnatural stillness that took hold of her body and the crying boy that embraced her so tightly towards his chest.

_So imagine my surprise when I came upon you in that summoning circle of yours, cradling your dying sister close to your chest and clinging to her frame so tightly, as if she would disappear the moment you loosened your grip._

As tears continued to run down his already wet cheeks, the boy looked up to girl before him and begged for help.

_You were bawling your eyes out as you wailed out for someone, anyone to save her._

The girl observed the boy for a long moment before her eyes hardened.

Gone were the eyes of blue, replaced by slits that burned red with hell fire. The face that framed it was drained from any warmth or emotion, looking as if it had been carved from stone. Wings, twelve twisted crooked black wings emerged from her back, surrounding her frame like a ring of shadows.

Where once stood a young woman, now stood a being a darkness. Shedding her facade of humanity, it revealed its true nature, that of a Lord of Devils.

A Maou.

Power, unadulterated power radiated out of her like a heat from the sun. The entire area was drowning in it as the air around her form rippled by her mere presence.

With her eyes of crimson red, the devil in the shape of a girl looked back down at the boy, who looked back unflinchingly.

The devil offered the boy a bargain, a contract. She will grant his wish. She will save the life of the girl.

_I offered to grant you your wish_

But this was a devil's bargain, where nothing came for free and very rarely for cheap.

_But at an impossible price, one too high for anyone willing to pay._

The girl would be saved.

But for a price.

A hint of disdain made its way to her face as the thing that was a girl but wasn't, stated her price.

_Your soul._

_And without hesitation, you accepted with a smile so dazzling on your face it looked as if I had offered you the world._

The girl seemed startled, shock written clearly on her face as she stared at the boy. For a time, the world around them seemed to freeze as the girl simply stared at the boy in incomprehension. Slowly, the girl's frame began to shudder slightly. The shudder quickly grew and grew until it sent her whole body trembling before. From between her tightly clenched lips, a small laugh brought out.

She threw her head back and laughed. She laughed and laughed so long and loud it appeared that she will never end. However, there was nothing malicious in that laughter. On the contrary, it was a joy filled one.

It was a pure thing, like rays of sunshine after an endless storm.

_I could not help but smile. I could not help but laugh as I released my joy to the world._

The laughter of one whose hope was renewed long after all hope was lost.

_I have found you. At long last, I had finally found you._

It was the laughter of a tired soul that finally found a home.

It seemed to go one forever, but when her laughter finally ended, she lowered her head and gazed at the world through the eyes the colour of baby-blue, her eyes shone with unshed tears as she looked upon the boy and asked a single question.

_I remember the first time I heard your name._

_Emiya Shirou._

The boy asked a question in turn.

_And I first told you mine._

_Serafall Leviathan._

And that was how a Demon Lord, and her hero, met.

**Author's Note:**

I'm not completely happy with how this chapter turned out, but it needed be done to get the story started.

While I'm not a fan of DxD (stopped reading by the third book) I am however a big fan of DxD fanfics and crossovers (funny how that works - I think it's because DxD is such an interesting universe). While there are a ton of great stories in this community (A Demon Among Devils is amazing), there are an amazing amount of Cliches used in them and they were driving me nuts. But I didn't want to be one of those people who just complained about other people's work through reviews while they sat back and do nothing. So instead I decided to write a story of my own as a form of protest to those Cliches...Stupid reason I know, but the next thing I know I'm typing on the computer and I have 20K words out in a week.

Ok, Cliche number one: Why does a every powerful character from another verse suddenly get weak when fighting Raynare (the weakest of the weak in terms of fallen angles), get killed then resurrected as a PAWN by Rias, where he happy serves as her willing slave. I mean there are a thousand and one ways they can be turned into a Devil but they keep using that one over and over again.

So here's my take on it. Devils can RESURRECT the dead. For that power, a lot of people will be more than willing to surrender their lives for. I'm honestly surprised that it hasn't been done more often.

Now onto the Fate/Stay night side of things. When Shirou was saved by Kitsurugi his first thought was 'I want to smile like that', this Shirou on the other hand thought 'I am the _reason_ why he's smiling like that'. What changes will it have on our favorite distorted hero? Wait and see.

This chapter was Beta'd by Sorata Shioya, you can thank him for saving you from the horrors of my spelling.


	2. Chapter 2: They're calling me what?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or High school DxD, just the original concepts and plot in this story. This Crossover is a complete AU**

**Story Start**

* * *

><p>They're calling me what!?<p>

I gazed down at the courtyard from between the blinds of the window. Three boys, the infamous Perverted Trio, ran screaming from a pack of girls, members of the girl's Kendo team going off their uniforms, who chased after them with shinais and bokkens raised over their heads.

I couldn't help but shake my head at the sight.

"Any reason why those three are still at school? Considering their actions I'm surprised you haven't had them expelled, if not outright arrested." I turned away from the window towards the girl I was addressing.

Like her sister she was a fairly petite girl, though not as full-figured and a few inches taller despite being a few (hundred) years younger than her sister. Violet eyes gazed out of her heart shaped face adorned with purple spectacles and framed with black hair styled in a bob-cut.

She was dressed immaculately in her Kuoh Academy uniform, the female version of the one I'm currently wearing. Despite mine being literally brand new, her uniform seemed to actually be in better condition. She gazed at me her no-nonsense face that wouldn't have been out of place on a stereotypical strict librarian, that if I had been anyone else, would have intimated me enough to guarantee my best behavior.

However, since my resurrection, I have seen Serafall break through her little sister's false exterior too many times to fall for it. Really, after seeing her run away in embarrassed tears while being chased by an apologetic magical girl, it's hard to picture Sona as an intimating figure.

Though for her pride sake, if nothing else, I was willing to at least pretend that strict image has some effect on me.

"Considering your personal stance on rule breakers, I would have thought you would have personally dealt with those three since day one. That you've tolerated them for an entire year is something I wouldn't have believed if I hadn't seen it myself. Well, unless you have a soft spot for perverts that I was unaware of Sona?"

And it's true, well not the pervert part, but Sona's belief when it comes to rules. I have never seen a bigger stickler for the rules ever. I have even seen the teachers panic whenever they saw her coming, quickly checking themselves over to make sure that they aren't failing to meet her standard. I swear I once saw a terrified teacher leap into a janitor closet when he noticed Sona approaching and realized that he didn't button his shirt up properly.

I swear if my old friend and the student council president of my old school, Issei Ryuudou was here, Sona will ended up with a new admirer for her fan club as he would no doubt end worshipping the ground Sona walked on from how well she does her job as the student president.

Then again, it may be a good thing he's not here. After all, I don't want to see how he'd react when he finds out he shares his name with someone from the perverted trio.

"Hardly," She scoffs out at the accusation as she adjusts her glasses. "If it was up to me I would have gotten rid of those trouble makers long ago. Unfortunately it's not up to me, at least not entirely. And Shirou, while I do not object to you referring to me by name outside of school grounds, when within it I would appreciate it if you refer to me as Kaichou."

"Whatever you say, Kaichou," though try as I might, I couldn't quite stop my humor from leaking out and coloring my tone as I said it. I swear I've been hanging around Serafall for too long, as I could not help but think at how adorable little Sona looked when she was trying to act all grown up.

That I'm only a year older than Sona just goes to show how much Serafall has succeeded in corrupting me these last few months.

I ignored how Sona narrowed her eyes as she no doubt caught the humor in my voice but decided not to call me out on it and instead returned the conversation to the original topic.

"What do you mean it's not up to you?" I sat down on one of the foldable chairs that lined the walls of the student council and crossed my legs as I spoke, "Your family runs the entire school. No matter what big shots their parents might be, they shouldn't have anywhere near the power or influence to prevent you from expelling them. Even if they did somehow managed to keep the police from getting involved."

"I wished it were their parents that were the problem." She breathed out a sighed as she adjusted her glasses by its sides again, a habit that I knew she often used whenever she was irritated or thinking. "And you're mistaken; my family does not own the school. Or at least, they're not the only owners."

That stumped me for a moment, as I vividly remembered being told by Serafall herself that Kuoh Academy was a Devil owned school. She should know after all, she ended up buying it when she found out Sona was planning on attending.

In fact the only reason why she doesn't own the entire school outright was because another Devil ended up getting ahold of the remaining shareholders before she did and ended up buying the rest of the share.

Then the answer hit me like a slap to the face.

"Gremory." I tried to keep my voice neutral as I said that name, I really did, but I must have failed as I noticed a rare small smirk made its way to Sona's usually stoic face.

"You really don't like the Gremorys do you." This time it was her voice that was colored with amusement. "They're not as bad as you make them out to be. I would know, I've been friends with Rias for years after all."

"I have never met Rias so I will reserve my judgment until I do. And you're wrong; it's not the Gremorys I dislike. Just one particular Gremory that I'm not entirely fond of." And the less I thought of that prick the better. Only Archer was able to get under my skin as easily as he did.

Judging by the smirk that was still in place, she didn't seem to have entirely brought my reasoning. Fortunately she decided to drop the topic.

Making her way behind a desk, she drew out one of the chairs from under it and sat down. "Rias seems to have taken a bit of interest in those three. It appears that one of them is a Sacred Gear wielder and Rias plans to make one of them into her peerage."

I couldn't quite hide my incredulity at that. Really, them? I haven't been here for a full day and even I have heard about them. I mean I had literally had both students and staff pull me aside and warn me about them to make sure I don't get mixed up with the wrong crowd.

Apparently the Perverted Trio have plans on becoming the Perverted Quartet. It seems that whenever a new male student, whether a freshmen or a transfer student, comes to Kuoh they do their best to invite them into their little group.

Well, as long as they weren't too good looking that is. In the end, the others were right in trying to warn me as they instantly tried to recruit me in their group by inviting me to go peeping with them the moment they set eyes on me.

…Wait a minute. I'm pretty sure I should be offended for some reason.

However, at the clear skepticism on my face Sona's frown became a little more pronounced as she me a sharp nod in agreement.

There is no surprise that Sona would disapprove of recruiting any of those three into her peerage. After all, in the underworld a peerage is supposed to be a representative of one's King. Good or bad, everything a peerage does will reflect on their King's reputation. And with a reputation like theirs, well…

Not to mention that if those three are having this much trouble controlling their lust as humans, there is no telling how horrible they'll be once they're turned to devils.

Plus I had my own doubts about the possibility of one of them bearing a Sacred Gear. Sacred Gear owners are not chosen at random, but instead Sacred Gears are matched to souls that best match the Gears nature. That is the reason why so many Sacred Gear users often end up with personalities that resemble their Sacred Gear.

I couldn't completely repress the shudder that ran through me at the thought. It was terrifying to contemplate what kind of Sacred Gear those three must have when considering how they behave.

As I looked up to find Sona looking back at me with half understanding and half revolted eyes, I knew that she must have already contemplated the same thing I did and shared my fear.

She once again adjusted her glasses as she spoke, "I have of course tried to dissuade her from her current course of action but it has proven a fruitless endeavor so far." She released an exasperated sigh. "I'm afraid as long as I have known her Rias has always been stubborn one, even as a child. Once she decided on a course of action there is no persuading her."

Sona hesitated for a moment as a faint coating of red, so light that I only caught it because I was staring straight at her, made it's was onto her checks as she blushed before she visibly steeled herself and carried on, "And as I can't think of any way of putting this delicately, I'll just come out and say it. Rias is a nudist."

If I was drinking anything at the moment, Sona would have undoubtedly bore witness to me doing a perfect spit take. Instead I just choked on air for a moment as I gaped in disbelief at her.

Sona's blush only deepened under the force of my incredulous stare despite the rest of her features remaining in her usual neutrally-stern state that she always wore. That's it, if I had any doubts about the legitimacy of her statements, they were gone as soon as noticed how hard she tried from blushing.

"W-What?" I sputtered.

"She a nudist, in fact they all are. The whole Gremory clan are a bunch of nudists." It was as if once the flood gates has finally opened she just couldn't stop, the words just came pouring out of her. "If you think that's bad, imagine how it was like for me when I accidently discovered this at a sleep over when I was just twelve. I saw my best friend's brother, the bloody Maou Lucifer himself, walk out of the bathroom stark naked and his only reaction was to ruffle my hair as he walked on by while wishing me good morning. Do you understand how weird that was? Now every time I hear some curse about 'by Lucifer's balls', I literally have a mental image of them pop up because that memory of his actual balls was seared into my adolescent mind."

By the time she had finished, Sona was panting for breath. Her shoulders raising and falling with each breath from how fast she tried to get through that little rant of hers, while her face was flushed red from a mixed of exertion and embarrassment.

After a taking a moment to catch her breath, she quickly began to collect herself. Sitting straight up, she give a quick tug to her shirt to straighten out any wrinkles before clearing her throat, "Sorry about that."

"…You've wanted to get that off your chest for a while now haven't you?

She gave a quick but sharp nod in response, "You have no Idea."

An awkward silence hung between as Sona no doubt mentally reprimanded herself over her outburst and while I tried my very best to purge the image of a naked Sirzechs waving his dong in front of a traumatized twelve year old Sona from my mind.

I failed, oh how I failed.

Thankfully the sound of the chair being pushed across the floor as Sona stood up was able to break me out of my morbid thoughts.

"Anyway," She made her way towards a small chess table while she spoke. "That's the reason why Rias isn't bothered by the Perverted Trio's behavior. In her mind it isn't a big deal to be seen naked, she actually finds the lengths they'd go to do so rather amusing." A disapproving frown made its way back to her face. "From her point of view, it's the girls who are overreacting. As I only control half the school I simply do not have the authority to expel them since Rias has the right to veto any of my decisions and vise-versa, at least when it comes to school matters. While I can force the issue if I wished, I'll be forced to owe Rias a favor, which is something I'm unwilling to do over such a minor issue as those three."

Pulling out a rather comfortable looking wooded chair from under the chess table, a clear step up in quality compared to the rest of furniture in the room, Sona took a seat while indicating for me to seat myself on the other one. I quickly complied with her silent request and soon found myself seated across Sona with a chess set between us.

It was at this moment that my mind had finally been rebooted from where it had still been clogged by images of a naked Sirzechs and realized that I had just willing placed a chess set between Sona and myself.

I was about to get my butt kicked wasn't I… very badly at that.

Chess, well let's just say it's not quite one of my strong points and leave it at that. I'm not exactly terrible at it. It's just that I'd never really played it before I became a Devil. Being Japanese, Kiritsugu was always more interested in Shoji than chess, and the only person in my age group that was interesting in strategy board games was Issei, and he was a Go player.

Sona on the other hand is said to have been born with a chess piece in hand. Even in the underworld, where the average age of players is measured in centuries, Sona is famed for being one of the greatest living chess players, despite just turning eighteen herself.

She was able to get out of an arranged marriage with a former suitor, who was apparently an avid chess fanatic and amateur chess champion, by gambling her hand over a game of chess. The suitor jumped at the chance at what he perceived as a riskless method to solidify his marriage arrangement and needless to say she wiped the floor with him.

For someone reason I simply can't comprehend, the entire Devil race seem to be obsessed with chess. I simply could not understand it. I mean it would have made sense if they enjoyed strategy board games in generally but as far as I can tell, outside of chess, Devils have no interest in them at all.

Serafall told me it's due to how similar chess is to the Rating Games, an incredibly popular sport not just in the underworld but the supernatural world as a whole, which in my opinion is more bull than one of Kotomine's sermons.

Chess and the battlefield have almost nothing in common, anyone who set foot in the battlefield can tell you that much.

But that isn't important right now….right now I need to think of way of avoiding getting my ass kicked by a teenage girl that probably weighs less than a hundred pounds when soaking wet.

During my short existence as a devil, I have learned one golden rule that seemed to be able to get me out of almost anything .When it doubt, ask yourself, what would Serafall do?

…It's at time like this I realized how messed up my life's become. If someone told me just a year ago that I would one day be willing try to emulate a Demon Lord that loves to cosplay as a magical girl to get me out of trouble, I would have asked what the hell they did to piss Zelretch off.

"Enough about that," Sona's voice drew my from my thoughts, "as enjoyable as it discussing school politics with you is, that is not the reason why I invited you here."

She waved a hand over the chess set, "I have a few questions that only you'd be able answer. And while we talk I hope that you'd be willing to indulge me with a game of chess."

No doubt taking note of the hesitant expression I wore on my face as I eyed the chess pieces, she raised an eyebrow at me. "You do know how to play….don't you?"

"Of course I do." I reassured her as I finally figured out a way out of this mess. "It's just I'm still rather new at it and there are a couple of rules that I'm not quite clear on, I was hoping that you'll clarify them for me."

"Certainly," She nodded, "What do you need me to clarify?"

"Well, just to make sure," I reached out and picked up the knight piece, "The horsey is the one that goes two step forwards and one to the side right?"

The rest of the student council members, who so far were pretending to be busy with paper work while eavesdropping on our conversation, broke out laughing at my comment.

I could see Sona try and fight to keep her stoic mask in place as she glared at me, but judging by the way the corners of her mouth kept twitching upwards, she couldn't quite pull it off.

I know it was rather mean of me but I did promise Serafall I'd try to break Sona out of her shell from time to time and make sure she at least has some fun.

Besides, while I hated to admit it, Serafall was right, teasing Sona was so much fun. When she gets like this and stares at me over the rim of her glasses, she resembles nothing more than a little kitten trying to give you a death glare. It just makes her that much cuter.

I wonder if this was how Rin felt like when she teased me. If so I finally understand why she did it so often, this was hilarious.

She tried to hold her glare on me for a moment longer before she gave up with a sigh and allowed a wry smile to make its way to her face, "I see my sister has been rubbing off on you."

It was sad but true. There was no way I could have stuck with Serafall for so long without having some of her habits rub off on me.

I shamelessly nodded my head, "When it comes to Serafall it's either fight her or join her and well, you should know better than anyone well how impossible it is defy her for long." She gave me an understanding look at that.

"Now," I set down my knight piece back on its proper place on the board. "I believe you have some questions for me."

Obviously noting the shift in my voice, Sona straightened her posture and looked me in the eye as she spoke. "Yes, as a matter of fact I do. Now, don't take this the wrong Shirou but why are you even here?"

"What, do I need a reason to go school?" I deflected. I had nothing to hide but that doesn't mean I was gonna make it easy for her. Besides, I know Sona loves to play these kinds of mind games and would rather put the pieces together herself than just have me outright tell her. "Just because I'm a Devil now doesn't mean I want to be known as a High School dropout. I never did get the chance to graduate before I was reincarnated."

"That not what I meant and you know it." The light glinted off her glasses as she adjusted it. "What I want to know is what you're doing here, as in the human world, rather than simply entering a Devil high school instead or even just studying at home."

Sona flicked a finger and Tsubaki, Sona's Queen and the student council vice-president, appeared by her side and handed her a sheet of paper.

Without even looking at it Sona held the sheet out towards me, "This Shirou is the result for your placement test. Since you didn't have any transfer papers we had to test you to measure your level of education. Do you know what you scored?"

"No, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me." Not even bothering to reach for the paper.

Again she didn't even bother to glance at the paper as she focused her entire attention on me, "You passed."

"Passed?" I cocked my head in confusion. "I thought it was a placement test, how can I pass? Do you mean that I made senior year?

She watched me carefully, probably assessing my sincerity, before apparently deciding I was being serious, "No," She shook her head. "I meant that you passed, as in you passed High school. According to your results, you can sit your graduation exams right this instant and pass with a solid B. Better if worked on your social studies and modern literature grades."

Really? Now isn't that a pleasant surprise for once. I've always been a pretty diligent student but it's been a while since I've last been to school. Despite all the last minute cramming I've been doing since I've been told I'd come here, I wasn't quite confident on how well I'd do. Seems like I ended up getting myself all worked up over nothing again after all.

"So let me ask you again. Shirou, why are you here? If education was all that mattered, you would be better off in a university rather than a High school."

"I could ask the same thing of you Sona. From what I've heard your education level is so much higher than high school level that you're probably not learning anything from any of your classes, are you? That you're taking several additional online university courses on the side is proof of that."

Going by the look of astonishment on the faces of the rest of the Student council members, it seems none of them were aware of this. Sona on the other hand didn't seem surprised that I knew. Then again, considering that Serafall was my master it wouldn't have taken a genius to figure out that she was the one who told me.

Serafall has always been a proud older sister after all. Hardly a day goes by without her by without her barraging about her little 'So-tan's' achievements.

"Not that it matters but the reason why I decided to remain in High school is because I believe there are somethings that cannot be taught in a classroom or learned from the pages of a book. By fulfilling my duties as a Student President and interacting with peers my own age I have learned thing that I would have never learned otherwise.

"Now, stop stalling and answer me Shirou. Why are you here?" Judging by the way she glared at me, it didn't look like she'd allow me to deflect again.

I just gave her a shrug in response. "Why are you asking me a question whose answer you already know?"

She stilled for a moment before asking, "My sister sent you here didn't she?"

I didn't bother replying, I doubt she expected me to anyway.

Sona didn't seem to surprise by my response, or lack of it, just upset. She removed her frames from her face and pinched the bridge of her nose as he exhaled loudly. Through I kept my eyes on her, I noticed form the edge of my sight how the rest of the Council froze at her reaction.

Sona maintained her pose for a few seconds, before with one final exhale through her nose, she retuned her frames to its proper place, folded her arms before her and looked straight at me.

"When I persuaded our parents to allow me to attend Kuoh Academy, my sister promised me that she wouldn't interfere. As much as I love her, I will never be able to grow if she tries to hold my hand at everything I do, and Kuoh was supposed to be an opportunity for me to experience life on my own. To learn how to take care of myself without my family backing me every step of the way or for my sister to save me the moment something goes wrong." When she first started, she spoke in her usual calm manner, but slowly her control started to slip. She didn't quite shout or even approached anything near that level but considering how even tempered Sona usually was, for her this was the equivalent of throwing a temper tantrum.

"I am the sole heir of the Sitri clan, one of the few remaining pillars, and one day I'll be expected to lead the entire clan and all its territory. Yet how does she expect me to do that if she won't even trust me to run one little school.

"When I first informed her about coming here, she told me she understood that, and while she didn't like me so far away from her, would respect my decision and would whole heartedly support me. So far, except for occasionally sending a familiar to check up on me, she has kept that promise.

"Until now.

"So tell me, Emiya Shirou, why has my sister decided to back out of her promise!"

"Whoa, wait a second. I think you're misunderstanding something here." I quickly stopped her before this misunderstanding gets any further out of hand than it already does. I knew teenage girls can be a little bit emotional fickle sometimes but I always thought Sona was an exception to that rule.

I swear these two sisters will be the death of me. Though they appeared to be complete opposites, they still had so much in common. The fact that both of their hot button topics were each other just proves it.

"While it's true your sister sent me here on a mission, I promise you that other than the fact that it's happening in your territory, it doesn't have anything to do with you at all."

"If that's the case then tell me what your mission is."

"I can't tell you—NO wait, I really can't," I quickly interject as soon as I noticed her face beginning to darken. "It's classified, other than those who are directly participating in it only the Maou and their Peerage are authorized to know about it." Which was the honest truth, I wasn't supposed to tell anyone what I was doing here unless I had to.

Sona scrutinized me through her glasses, no doubt looking for even the slightest hint of deceit. After what felt like a small eternity, she relented. She seemed to almost deflate before slumping over slightly as she sat back down again. After a moment she looked up at me and, with a slightly embarrassed look on her face, gave me a weary smile.

"Sorry," She mumbled out, "It's just…"

"Don't worry," I said as I waved her apology, "I understand."

And I really did. I could completely understand where she's coming from. After all, to her it must have been a minor miracle for her sister to leave her alone for this long, especially when you consider how incredibly over protective Serafall can be.

Then to have me, a member of her Peerage, arrive out of nowhere without any warning or reason, it's no surprise that she jumped to conclusions. It was only natural for her to be suspicion of how compliant Serafall has been of her demands so far.

Unfortunately for her, her paranoia is well founded.

At any given time, there are approximately two-dozen highly skilled devils who were assigned by both Sirzechs and Serafall to patrol the border of the city and preventing anything too dangerous from wondering in.

Really, that Sona was willing to believe that both she and the Gremory girl would have been left unguarded even for a moment, just goes to show that she can be quite naïve at times despite all of her intelligence.

Even if you were willing to ignore that they were both the heirs to two of the most important families in the underworld, they were still the beloved sisters to the leaders of all Devil-kind, the Maou, and they honestly expected themselves to be left unguarded while they remain on earth? That's the equivalent of leaving the President's daughters unprotected in a politically unstable country. It's just not going to happen.

Still, I have no intention of letting her find out about this, not from me at least. No way I'm gonna let myself be dragged into that mess.

"Anyway," I began after of a quick clearing of my throat, "while I can't give out any details, I can at least assure you that I'm not here to babysit you. I was in fact given explicit orders not to interfere in any way unless it was a matter of life or death. Anything short of that and I'm not allowed to get involved."

"I see." Despite the near perfect poker face she was wearing, it was clear that Sona was rather pleased with this news. "Yet that doesn't explain why you're here in particular, as in this school. I doubt whatever assignment you're on required you to pose as a High school student."

I nodded my head at that, "That true, but I wasn't lying when I said I never had the chance to graduate."

That had always irritated me for some reason. While it's true that neither my past ambition of becoming a Hero or my current reality of living as a Devil would benefit from me formally getting my High school diploma, the thought of never graduating, especially after all the years of work I put into it, just irks me. Especially since I only had a few more month of my formal education left.

Plus, there is only so many times I can take Serafall teasing me by calling me a High school drop out before I started to get the hint. You couldn't tell by looking at her, but Serafall takes education quite seriously.

"Part of the reason why I'm actually here is as a cover. Anyone looking will most likely come to the same conclusion as you did when they realize that I was attending the same school as my master's sister and not dig any deeper after that."

"That's a likely assumption." Sona nodded her head in agreement but then paused. She tilted her head in thought and looked at me, "You said 'part', so is there another reason why you're attending Kuoh?"

"Ah, well." I couldn't help but scratch my cheek in embarrassment at that, "Apparently Serafall wanted us to get to know each other better."

Whether at my words or my obvious embarrassment, Sona gave me a faint smile. "I'd like that."

Before the moment could become any more awkward, or embarrassing, I quickly changed the subject.

"Anyway," taking a moment to clear my throat, I subtly tried to scan the room for something to talk about, and found one as my eyes landed on the chess set before me. "I heard that you're almost old enough to qualify for the rating games. Do you plan on participating in this year's Young Devils Gathering?"

The knowing smile on her face told me she knew exactly what I was trying to do, but decided to play along anyway. "As a matter of fact I do. I'm not sure if you've heard, but there is going to be an unusually high number of heirs qualifying for this year's gathering. It will be the perfect chance to for me to test myself and prove my worth to the rest of the underworld. Plus Rias definitely plans to enter and there is no way I'm going to allow her to get one up on me."

Despite Sona's surprisingly childish attitude when it comes to her well known rivalry with the Gremory heir, I couldn't fault the rest of her reasoning. "And what do you think your odds are of winning?"

"Truthfully?" she asked which I nodded. "Zero."

"Oh~?" Despite my questioning tone, I couldn't help but smile in approval at her response. Unlike many of the younger Devils, or even the older ones, Sona has no over delusions of grandeur when it comes to her combat abilities. "Why would you say that? Don't you have any confidence in your Peerage's abilities?"

"Not at all," There was no hesitation in her replay, "I have the utmost confidence that my Peerage's is more the able to handle anything that they end up facing."

Around us, Sona's Peerage practically preened from her praise, even as they continued to pretend not to listen as they tried to maintain their charade of working.

Masking my smile at their hijinks, I asked, "So, what's the problem then?"

"The 'problem', as you put it is the competition." She pushed her glasses by the bridge of the frame up her nose as she spoke, causing it to flash as it reflected the light, "I already mentioned that this year's gathering will be unusually large, well consequently it's also going to be unusually fierce."

Pausing for a moment, she momentarily shut her eyes and gathered her thoughts, before continuing, "Like every gathering, there are several strong devils among this year contenders but there are two that stand out head and shoulders above the crowd."

Lifting one finger in the air, "First, there is Riser Phenex. Despite being well known as a playboy and minor trouble maker, Riser is undeniably a genius when it comes to using his family's flames. His regeneration is at the level that would have taken most Phenex's the better part of a century to reach, and he's barely over twenty years old.

"The matches he's participated in this year is proof of this. Despite that the majority of his Peerage consistence of members with substandard combat abilities, he has won all eight of the matches he's fought in and emerged without a single wound to show for it. Three out of the eight opponents he's faced simply resigned when they realized that none of their attacks were able to harm him even after he invited them to attack.

"That doesn't even take his sister into the equation. While less talented in her control over the Phoenix flames than her brother, she more than makes up for it with her intelligence. Ravel Phenex is a first class tactician with a gift in small scale strategy that I can honestly say rivals mine."

I raised an eyebrow at that. Coming from Sona that was quite high praise indeed.

"While Riser has a more les affaires approach to managing his Peerage in battle, which basically consists of him just sitting back and do nothing, Ravel takes a more hands on approach.

"Though she doesn't directly fight herself, she often leads a handful of peerages to the combat the enemy and coordinates them all the while she stands back and assesses the enemy's battle style for threats and weakness. Under her leadership, they were able to win two matches without having Raiser get involved at all.

"Together they form a formidable team that covers each other's weak points rather well. While they do have some rather large flaws that can be exploited, the raw power of two high class devils in one team makes it almost impossible for any team in their age group to take advantage of it."

I nodded my head in agreement to her assessment. I knew most of this information already of course but I had a feeling she was explaining this to her Peerage just as much as she was to me. Plus while I knew why it was unlikely for her to win, I wanted to see if her reasons matched mine so I made sure not to interrupt her explanation.

"While I never met them or seen any of their matches, I've heard the Phenex siblings are one of the favorites in this year's match." I added, "Second only to him of course."

Sona nodded solemnly, "Yes him," she raised up a second finger, "Sairaorg Beal, the strongest of the young Devils.

"He was born with neither skill nor talent, and even failed to inherit the power of his bloodline, the Power of Destruction. By Devil's standards, he was born a cripple. With such handicaps, he should have been a weakling that would be incapable of fighting even low class Devils, let alone high class ones.

"But apparently someone failed to tell Sairaorg that because over the last three years he crushed every high class devil born in the last century and at least half of the ones born before in one-on-one duels.

"Now he is the closest among the younger generation to becoming the next Satan, a Maou." Sona shook her head in disbelief, "Honestly, the only way for Sairaorg to lose is if he decided to fight the entire tournament alone without his peerage, and even then I'm not entirely sure that he wouldn't win."

The scary thing is that she wasn't even exaggerating, if anything she was understating things. Sairaorg was a monster, pure and simple. Devils usually take centuries of training to reach Ultimate-Class level and that's with the power they inherited from their Clan. This guy did it before he was twenty when he was considered a cripple magic wise.

After finally finishing her explanation, Sona lowered her hand. "And that's why realistically, I don't believe I have any real chance of winning. With only one of them entering it would still have been difficult, a long shot. Both? My chances have dropped so far below zero, it practically became an imaginary number. Especially when you take into account that they both have completed their Peerages and I'm still in the process of building mine.

"If this year's gathering wasn't so important, I would honestly consider delaying my debut for another year, but unfortunately that would have made me look like a coward and as an heir I can't allow my reputation be damaged in such a way."

I couldn't help but feel a stirring of pride at her analysis. While it wasn't word for word, Serafall had basically told me the same thing and for mostly the same reasons. Looks like my master's little sister is gonna turn out just fine.

Unfortunately though while most of what she said is accurate, it's also incomplete.

I had to bite back a grimace. Though I hate playing the bad guy, it's for her own good. Ah, well. Time to clear up some misconceptions.

"Even if you don't expect to win, I hope that doesn't mean you intend to lose."

Sona smirked at me. "Hardly," she replied, "while first place is impossible, it is still possible for me to rank pretty high. I have scouted the other participants and have found that the majority of them are hardly a threat at all. The few that are I have already prepared a basic strategy to counter them if I ever end up playing against them."

"So you expect to end up doing pretty well then?"

"I do." There was no hesitation.

"How well?"

"I estimate that as long as I don't get unlucky and end up facing either Phenex or Sairaorg in one of the earlier rounds, I would have a fair chance of winning fourth place, maybe higher if I end up getting lucky."

I deliberately let out a quite snort in response.

And naturally Sona caught it.

"You disagree?" She asked while cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes," Well, here comes the tough love part. You owe me for this Serafall, "you won't make it anywhere near that far."

"Why do you believe that?"

"Because you're too weak."

It was incredible how much more silent the already quite room became as everyone in the council room just froze. Sona went rigid in surprise so fast that it looked like she was electrocuted, hell even her Queen Tsubaki's jaw dropped in disbelief.

For a human, what I said wouldn't have been too bad. Even for a Devil, a race that prided itself on its strength and power, it was have only been mildly insulting. Well, that would have been true if Pride wasn't this Devil's chosen deadly sin.

Pride, Sona's weakness of the seven. And I, someone who was practically one step away from being family, just stomped on it, in front of her entire Peerage. A little harsh I admit but there was few better way to gain someone else attention and make them listen, and I mean truly listen than to hurt their pride.

"Why you bastard, apologi-", the only male in the student council, a blond haired kid, charged straight at me before being stopped by Sona's raised hand.

Never taking her eyes off me, she scrutinized me for the better part of a minute before deciding to speak.

"Explain yourself Emiya." She growled out at me, glaring murder at me all the while. Once again her attempt in intimidation made her look nothing more than a murderous little kitty. So freaking cute, I swear I'm never doubting Serafall again.

In response I simply waved my hand over the table between us, "This right here Sona, is your why you're weak."

Judging by the baffled looks I was receiving they looked like they were listening to me at least. Good, that will make things easier then.

"Chess?" For once it wasn't Sona who asked the question but her Queen Tsubaki, "You're saying the Kaichou's weakness is chess? But she's amazing in it."

"That's not what I meant," though I replied to Tsubaki's question I didn't take my eyes off Sona as I spoke. "And it's not just your Kaichou's, but also Devil kind as a whole."

Pointing to the chess set in front of me, "Tell me Sona, what does Chess and Rating games have in common. And I'm talking about the fighting aspect, not the superficial stuff like names and titles."

If Sona was in any way thrown off by my line of questioning, she didn't show it. She just stared at the board game for a few seconds before looking back up to me, "I'm not exactly sure what you're asking me Shirou."

"Let me rephrase it for you this way," I crossed my arms before me as I leaned back into my chair. "What exactly does chess and battle have in common?"

This time she didn't bother to glance at the chess board but focused all her attention on me, as she contemplated the question.

"Normally I would answer something like strategy or tactics," she began, "but I have a feeling that isn't the answer you're looking for."

I nodded my head at her answer. A little bit naïve maybe but no one had ever accused Sona of being stupid, that's for sure.

"The answer is simple, almost nothing at all."

I had already lifted my hand up to stop the retort that Sona would have undeniable replied with before I even finished my sentence. Sure enough, Sona already had her mouth opened before she stopped herself.

"Now, I'm not clamming that Chess isn't useful for developing strategic thinking or planning, which it undoubtedly does, only that it's use in developing battle skill is greatly overvalued in modern Devil society." I continued after making sure I wasn't going to get interrupted. "In fact outside of basic strategy, it shares almost nothing in common with real life warfare.

"And yet Devils as a whole seem to worship it as the ideal war game simulator. The amount of hype Devils seem to pile up on chess is a so ridiculous that it has actually started to negatively affect the fighting potential of the younger generation of Devils."

"For example," I raised a single finger, "There is a military term known as 'information uncertainty'. It's when you're unsure how accurate the information you have on the enemy, or a situation where you don't even have any information at all. That is a key aspect in any battlefield and something that simply doesn't exist in chess." I added another second finger. "Then there is the amount of forces each side has. In chess, no matter your skill level, your starting pieces are equal in number and strength, which is a completely ridicules scenario in real life, one that will never occur."

I quickly added a third, fourth and fifth finger to the others. "Then there is terrain and weather advantage, communication problems, panic and moral among the soldiers." I then formed my hand into a fist. "And perhaps the most important lesson at all, Chess doesn't teach you when to run away. Victory is always possible in Chess, in real life, sometimes all you can do it run. Sometimes it much better to retreat than stand and fight till you die a meaningless death. This simple lesson, learning when to run, is one that too many young people fail to ever learn until too late."

I know, I know. This coming from a guy who willingly fought Gilgamesh and other Servants as a human probably makes it the most hypocritical thing I ever said, but it doesn't make it any less true.

Finally I lowered my hand.

"Chess, Sona," I continued after I allowed my words a few seconds to sink in, "is a great starting point for developing your skills as a strategist but if you cling to it for too long it will only end up limiting you. And that is something that is already happening to you."

I spread my arms and indicated the entire room with a wave, "Your choice of Peerage is a perfect example of this."

Anger, genuine barely restrained anger, flooded her face as she all but hissed at me, "Watch your next words, Shirou. Or even your master won't be able to save you."

I was barely able to bite back a smile at her response and even then I only succeeded because I was sure she'd misinterpret it.

Heh, I knew there was a reason why I liked this girl.

She was angrier with me over the slight of her peerage than when I insulted her. This means she has more Pride in them than herself. For all their apparent differences, the more I get to know these two sisters, the more similar they are.

I raised both my hands up in front of me in a placating manner, "Now now, clam down. That's not what I meant. I didn't intend for you to take what I said as an insult toward your Peerage."

"Then what exactly do you mean Shirou?" While she didn't quite clam down at least she doesn't look like she was making plans to rip my head of anymore.

"Your peerage, they're a reflection of how you fight."

That at least was able to throw her off enough to knock the wind out of her sails.

Before she even got the chance to ask, I answered. "They're all like chess pieces. No, to be more precise, they're more like surgical knives."

I glanced around the room at all seven members of her Peerage.

"Even with just a glance I can tell that almost everyone in this room was chosen not for their raw fighting abilities. Instead they you picked them for their abilities to counter your enemies strength or to exploit their weakness." I gave them a slow knowing nod when I saw how their eyes widened in surprise at how close I hit the mark. No doubt they were wondering how I was able to figure that out just by looking at them. In truth I knew most of this from the reports Serafall gave me but they didn't need to know that. "Like a craftsman choosing his tool, you picked every piece in your peerage in preparation to exploit any situation that you find yourself in.

"Now, that is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact I can honestly say that many Peerages can benefit from adopting your approach."

"Then what the heck is the problem?" The blond hair boy yelled out. Well, I at least figured out who the loud mouth of the group is.

"The problem is that you took it too far. Your plan of creating a Peerage that can adapt to every scenario has ended up created a bunch of potentially fatal weaknesses." I addressed my words to Sona. "The first and the most obvious one is, your entire attack plan require information on the enemy to work. You can't exploit their weaknesses or nullify their strengths if you don't know what they are. Without detailed and accurate data on your enemy, your entire attack strategy falls apart.

"In a war reliable information is a scare resource.

"What method have you prepared for scouting information on the battlefield? Other than familiars, which are easily stopped, or your family information network, which is only geared towards Devils, you have no efficient method of getting the information you'll need to win."

"Sure," I waved a hand flippantly in the air, "in a Rating game it might be possible to gather information on your enemy, but it's equally possible for you to miss something. I'm sure more than one Devil will have one or two hidden trump cards in their deck.

"Most importantly," I looked Sona straight in the eye, "never forget that rating games are supposed to be simulation for real war. There is no point in learning techniques that can only work in what is basically nothing more than a popular game but is ineffective in a real fight were actual lives are at stake."

I paused to make sure the last statement sinks in. If nothing else, I hope that she will at least take that lesson to heart, it may just end up saving her life one day.

"The second key mistake is the lack of raw fighting strength in your Peerage. It's all well and good to try to exploiting your enemy weakness, but there is no point to it when you're too weak to take advantage of said weakness."

Seeing the looks of confusion on some of the Peerage members, I tried to think of a better way to explain it. "Hmm, give me a second to think of an example." I leaned back into my chair as I ransacked my brain for a good method to explain. "Ah, got one!" I exclaimed while punching the palm of my hand. I'm gonna have to change the details of the fight quite a bit, but it will do.

"A few years ago, I had to fight a very powerful witch. For convenience sake let's just call her Caster for now. Anyway, the biggest problem I had was actually hitting her. For all her magical prowess she was rather fragile, so a single solid blow would take her out for the count. Yet she was a fairly fast opponent; almost as fast as knight but the real problem appeared when she demonstrated her teleportation ability. She could jump from one place to another in a heartbeat, only needing a couple of seconds at most to cast the spell.

"What made it worse was she was an incredibly powerfully mage. Each of her spells was capable of bring down a small building and she can cast dozens of them simultaneously. At times when she went on an all-out attack, it almost felt like it was raining spells."

That memory brought a grimace to my face. She was probably the most annoying opponent I had to fight in the entire war. I mean sure Saber had an A class magic resistance, but I sure as hell didn't!

"So the entire fight she would simply snipe us. She'd teleport to the top of a building a couple of hundred yards away, and just bombard us with spells. There was no point finding cover because her spells would just plow right through it. Whenever we tried to rush her she'd just teleport away and we couldn't sneak up on her because she littered the place with familiars that would inform her whenever someone was sneaking up on her." Saber may have thought of them as low-quality but those Dragon Tooth Warriors were a pain, they made it impossible to sneak up on her.

"To make matters worse Caster was a prodigy of magic, on a scale I have never seen before, so magical based attack or abilities were completely worthless against her." I pointedly looked at two of the Council members, Sona's two bishops, a long black haired girl and a brunet with braids. "So that invisibly spell you're so fond of will be less than worthless against her." I turned back towards Sona.

"So what will you do?" I questioned, "You are capable of harming her but not reaching her. Even your fastest peerage member has no chance of reaching her in time before she teleports away. None of your spells or magical tricks that your peerage specializes in will work on her. All the while she's raining spells down on you that will end up taking your peerage out one by one if you don't finish her soon." I gave her time to think it through. "So what will you do?"

As I watched her ponder the problem, a thought hit me. "Ah, just to clarify. This is not a hypothetical scenario, Caster was as real as you or me and I wasn't exaggerating in the slightest when I described her combat abilities. She really was that strong." While it's true that the Casters class always had a bad rep of being weak in the Holy Grail wars, that was only because they were matched up against other heroic spirits. Compared to the standards of ordinary magi or even Devils, they were absolute monsters.

While Sona was still lost in thought one of her Peerage members, a handsome looking blue haired girl raised her hand. I felt a little too much like a teacher as I indicated for her to speak, "You said you fought this 'Caster' person right?" Seeing my nod, she continued, "Well, seeing as you're here with us alive and well, you obvious must have won right? So how did you win?"

I broke out a smile at that. Even though I knew it was my Pride getting to me, as I would never have even imagined myself behaving like this before, I couldn't resist a chance to show off one of my swords.

Plus, seeing as how Sona and the rest of the Peerage were watching me as they waited for my response, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to hammer the lesson in.

I raised both of my hand before me palms facing upwards, as if I was holding something invisible within them, I began to project a sword.

Though perhaps calling it a projection is no longer accurate. In this world, one without Gaia's interference or degrading of magecraft, my swords have become something more than a mere projection. They may be copies still, but they're copies that would no longer fall so short from the original.

That was not all that changed with my magic. Since becoming a Devil, I no longer need an Aria to activate my circuits. That's because my circuits are always on. The amount of Od I now hold in my body was ridicules. At a level that would make even Rin turn green with envy. That's not even mentioning the changes that my circuits have undergone.

Right now my circuits have reached a standard of quality that would have been impossible for a human to achieve. Nothing short of a Dead Apostle could channel anywhere near as much Prana as I was currently capable of. That was the reason why I no longer needed to close my circuits; they no longer even noticed the strain of being kept open. Plus as a devil I needed to have my Prana, or Mana as they refer to it here, flowing throughout my body to survive. Mana is apparently is the equivalent of blood for Devils, it needed to keep pumping through our body or we'd drop dead.

A web of lines formed over my hand for the briefest of instant, shaped in an outline of a sword, before with a flash of light, it was replaced with the real thing.

Exclamation of surprise and startlement came from all around me, which I ignored as I looked down at the sword that I held in my hands.

Caladbolg II: The Fake Spiral Sword

It was a modified sword, one that never existed in real life, at least not in its current form. Based on the demonic sword wielded by the Irish hero, Fergus mac Róich, it had been altered to become more aerodynamic so that it may be fired from a bow.

Honestly I'm not entirely sure if I could even refer to it as a sword anymore. Unlike most swords, the blade of this one was not straight or even curved, but spiraled around like a twister. It looked more like a revolving drill bit than anything. If not for the hilt that was attached to the end of this spiraling blade, I doubt anyone would have guessed it to be a sword.

Done with my examination of the sword, not that it needed one, my blades are always perfect, I looked up to find every person in the room staring alternately at either the blade or me with expression ranging from absolute shock to one of wonder, as if I had performed a miracle worthy of Christ himself.

What? What was going on? Why are they acting so surprised? Something like this shouldn't surprise them, everyone here has seen magic before, and hell they should all be capable of performing magic themselves. I mean their Devils for Hell's sake-

Oh~ right, Devils, forgot.

Devils are inherently beings born of magic. Unlike humans who can easily survive or even thrive without even a drop of magic, Devils will drop dead without it. This makes them especially sensitive to magic and magical anomalies, far more than a human mage or magi ever could be. And what did I do inform of them? I summoned a Noble phantasm packed with so much power, that it's more that capable of wiping the entire school off the map in an instant.

From their point of view I had just summoned a sword that can tear down mountain tops with a single swing, from what appeared to be nothing but air. And I currently have that very same weapon of mass destruction draped across my lap like one would a cat.

Thinking about it that way, their surprise is starting to make a lot more sense.

Sona being the first to recover, not surprising considering she probably witnessed her sister do far more outrageous things growing up, was the one to ask the question they were all thinking. "Shirou," never taking her eyes off the Noble Phantasm, "what is that?"

"This?" I repeated as if I wasn't why she was asking, "This, Sona, is a sword."

"That's a sword?" The boy this time and the words came out of his throat in a strangled almost terrified whisper. Clearly he never experienced power even approaching this scale before. Most likely because he was only recently reincarnated. What I did was impressive yes, but the supernatural world was full of monster. Compared to what some of those beings are capable of, what I just did was nothing special.

"Well, yes and no," I answered, "To be accurate it was a sword, now it's more of an arrow. It's called Caladbolg, and it was this weapon that was able to slay Caster"

Patting the side of the sword, careful not to cut my hand on the sharp edges, I explained. "This was my solution to the Caster scenario. Caladbolg, in the hands of a skilled archer, can basically be fired upon a target like an arrow." I traced a path on the coiling edge of the sword. "You see how the blade corkscrews, when fired, it will cause the sword to spiral so fast that it can penetrate any target by creating a twisting distortion in space. The effect was so powerful that it tore thought Caster's magical defense like paper and was so fast that she didn't have enough time to even try to teleport. Even if she had, I honestly believe that she would have been twisted along with the space anyway."

Ok I admit. I basically ripped this move from Archer but so what? He was essentially me anyway; you can't plagiarize from yourself now can you?

"Wait, wait," I was interrupted by blondie again as he point an accusing finger at me. Seems I was right in pinning him as the loud mouth. "You have a Sacred Gear too?"

I smiled at that, it wasn't a bad assumption by any means. It made sense too. No magic was able to craft swords out of thin air, at least not of this quality. Sacred Gears on the other hand were famous for doing things that were supposed to be impossible, magically or otherwise. It was, at least to them, the only thing that could explain what I had done.

It wasn't a bad assumption, but that still didn't make it the right one.

"No, I don't." I told him, and left it at that. It'll give them something to ponder on.

"Anyway, back to the original topic. Sona," She looked up from her examination of the blade, "this was my solution to Caster. An extremely powerful non-magical long-range attack. When I found I didn't have the speed to get close to her, nor the magic to match hers, I relied on the pure destructive power of this weapon to win."

"So answer me Sona," finally getting back to the original question, "how would you have dealt with Caster if you and your Peerage had to face her as you currently are?"

This time I made sure not to interrupt Sona as she pondered the dilemma. I merely sat back and watched her think. Sona was a smart girl, far smarter than me if I was being honest. I had no doubt she'd figure out what I was trying to tell her on her own.

The fatal weakness of Sona's Peerage is the pure lack of fire power. I wasn't exaggerating when I said that this world was filled with monsters. Ones' so powerful that no amount of strategizing or planning can let you defeat them, simply because most people just lacked the strength to even scratch them, let alone actually injure them.

Compared to them Caster was nothing more than a fly. Yet Sona didn't even have anywhere near the power to defeat her.

Even that Gremory girl's Peerage had a better chance against Caster. Though I doubt she'd win considering how cunning Caster was, but in a straight head-to-head battle she'll at least have a fighting chance. With her Power of Destruction and her knight, who was reported to be one of the fastest Devils alive, there was the real -if small- possibility of them wining.

With Sona, even that small possibility didn't exist.

"Shirou," Sona called out, knocking me out from my thoughts. I looked up to find her watching me with a rather suspicious look on her face. "You've been taking a great deal of interest on my Peerage today, almost unusually so. In fact I can't even remember a single occasion where you actually brought up the topic before." I resisted the urge to look away from her violet eyes that she locked onto me. "So, why the sudden interest?"

Now you see, that's the problem with smart people. They make it almost impossible to sneak anything past them.

I shrugged, "Isn't it only natural to talk about Peerages after you brought up the Young Devils Gathering?"

"Actually," if anything my attempt in deflection just seemed to have made her even more suspicious, "I'm pretty it was you who brought it up."

"Did I?" Crap, I'm not even if that's true or not. "I honestly can't recall."

"Shirou, enough." She crossed her arms and glowered at me. "Just tell me what you're up to."

Ah well, looks like the jig is up. Even if I gotten better at it recently, I've never been any good at this subtle manipulation stuff.

I rubbed my hand through my hair a couple of times as I looked away, "Well, it just since the Gathering is only a few months away I just thought you could use a hand getting yourself ready, that's all."

She actually looked surprise at. "You want to train us?" her frames slipped down her nose as she said that. Huh, I guess whatever it was she was suspecting me to say it wasn't this.

"Pretty much," I crossed my arms and nodded at that. "So what do you say, want me to help out?"

For a long while she just sat there, staring at me in disbelief before she slumped back in her seat with a sigh. She took off her glasses and began massaging the bridge of her nose, "My sister put you up to this didn't she?" It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement.

"What! No! Of course not." My denial was so over the top that I doubt even a kindergartener would have believed me. "She will never do that, never. Especially since she knows that her beloved little sister would never accept anything from her if she believes it might be taken as favoritism. On the other hand sometime over the last month she gained the most peculiar habit of talking to herself out loud. She kept repeating the same thing too. She kept going on and on about 'If only there was someone who would help my dear So-tan train I wouldn't be so worried' or something like that. It was actually starting to get a bit creepy by the end."

It really was. The last night I spent in the Underworld, I ended up waking up to find Serafall standing next to my bed, just watching me with unblinking eyes and kept repeating the words over and over again. I surpassed a shiver at that memory. I'll give her this much at least, Serafall sure know how to get what she wants.

Propping her head on one hand, the one that still held her glasses, she just gave me an exasperated look. "So let me get this straight. The entire 'chess is worthless' speech you just gave me was basically nothing but a sales pitch wasn't it?"

"Yup." I nodded, not even bothering to deny it, "It was completely true mind you but yeah basically that's what it was."

Covering her face in her hands, she just tiredly muttered through them, "You could have just asked, you know?"

"Actually, no I couldn't." I corrected her, "Not only would you have probably refused my offer if I just flat out asked you but I'm technically not allowed to. Remember, my orders clearly state that I'm not allowed to directly interfere in your business. Butting into your training, even if it ended up becoming beneficial, would have qualified as direct interference. On the other hand, if you came and asked me to train you, it would not count as interfering as I would have been invited to join thus I'd have been perfectly in my rights to accept and help you train."

Rather convoluted wasn't it? I personally thought the entire situation was rather stupid but apparently Devils love this kind of stuff. From the very first day of me setting foot in the Underworld, I've had it drilled into me that as part of a Maou's Peerage there were formal rules of behavior that I was expect to follow. That was especially true since the Maou's themselves seemed to disregard them so completely that their Peerage members are forced to pick up the slack by following them extra hard in their place.

Favoritism for example is one of the key issues. Apparently when the four new Maous were coronated there was a big fear among the Devils that they would end up using their power to unfairly support their family over everyone else. That was actually a rather valid concern since nepotism was widely practiced in the Old Devil faction. So to dissuade those concerns, the new Maous willingly distanced themselves from their family by throwing away their old clans names and adopting the traditional names for Satans.

That's actually why Sona refuses anything from her sister. Everyone knows how much Serafall loves her and Sona is apparently a terrified of getting her sister in trouble. Unfortunately, it's actually a valid concern.

Just look at Grayfia. She has to go so far as to dress herself up like a maid to make it clear that she's not expecting to get any special treatment by marrying Sirzechs and she's his bloody Queen. Well actually, I've heard a few rumors say that she does it because Sirzechs has some kind of maid-dominatrix fetish but that was too disturbing to contemplate so I decided to just disregard it.

While it's not as bad as I'm making it sound to Sona, who has always been a stickler for the rules, has always taken things a bit to the extreme to make sure their followed.

Raising her head from her hand she gave a deadpanned stare, then without warning she just started laughing. Not a little one either but an actual full-bellied laugh that shook her entire body. That actually caught me of guard a little bit as I had never actually seen Sona laugh so much before and going by the looks that the rest of her Peerage were giving her, neither did they.

When her laughter finally subdued, although she still let out an occasional chuckle, she looked up at me with shinning eyes, "I can see why my sister chose you. A better match in hell has never been made before."

"Don't you mean heaven?"

"I know what I said Shirou," she returned her frames to their usual place and give me one of her rare smiles "and trust me when I say there is no way heaven would ever approve of the two of you."

In spite of myself, I felt oddly pleased with that.

Letting out one final chuckle, Sona took a deep breath before shutting her eyes. Remaining almost completely still, she released her breath in one slow exhale. When she was done, she opened her eyes again and I found myself staring at a completely different person.

Gone were all the traces laughter and humor, disappearing as if it was never there. Sitting ramrod straight in her seat, Sona look at me with a face that was equally formal as it was cold. Not a hint of warmth remained; it almost felt like I was looking at a stranger.

This was a side of Sona that I rarely saw, although it was the one she apparently wore the most. This Sona wasn't my master's little sister nor was she the girl that was quickly becoming my friend. This was Sona Sitri, the heiress of Sitri Clan, the president of Kuoh Academy's Student council.

Cold and formal, it was something that I only seen once before, the side of her that she wore when we first met, though it didn't last as it quickly melted away when Serafall introduced us and told her who I was.

It was as if she had some kind of internal switch that she could simply flick and switch between personas.

She looked at me straight in the eye before lowering her head in a formal bow, "Emiya Shirou," She stated, "I Sona Sitri, heir of one of the 72 pillars, humbly invite you to attend the training session of both my Peerage and myself and grant us whatever assistance that you are willing to offer."

See what I mean? Complete stickler for the rules this one. She could have just said 'can you please help us train?" and that would have been enough. Honestly, even most of the older generations aren't this formal outside of work but since she choose to go down this route that means I have to respond in kind and honestly I'm still not used to this kind of thing.

Returning a bow that was equally deep, "I, Emiya Shirou, servant of the Leviathan, gladly accept the invitation." I'm pretty sure that wasn't the proper response but it will do. Now with that part over, I made sure to come out of the bow the same time she did.

Then like that her mask was gone and the usual semi-formal Sona was back.

"Well," she adjusted her frames, "That was twenty minutes of my life I'm never getting back." Though she said it with a smile to tell me she was kidding.

She then looked over my head at something behind, "We've been here longer than I originally expected. You better hurry up if you want to have time to eat."

I twisted in place to look at the clock that was mounted on the wall behind and found she was right. Lunch was almost halfway over.

Rising from my seat I started to make over to the door, "Well, while I still have a few things I wanted to talk to you about they can wait until after our first training session at least. When is that by the way?

"The next planned training will be tomorrow at seven in the evening in the school courtyard." She replied, "Now go to lunch Shirou, I don't want you slacking off on your first day at school because you were hungry."

"Got it," I had just reached the door at that point and had slid the door half way open before I remembered something.

"Oh and Sona," I looked at her over my shoulder, "It's up to you whether or not you choose to listen to my advice, but when you choose your remaining Peerage members make sure they're the power type."

She just waved me away, "Understood, now get going already."

Nodding I turned to leave but was stopped when I was halfway out the door.

"And Shirou," I turned to find Sona staring at me, "call me Kaichou when in school."

I smirked at that, "Alright Kaichou." And shut the door behind me and walked away to find a quiet place I can have my lunch at.

* * *

><p>Inside the Student Council room, the remaining occupants silently waited for the sound of their departing visitor's footsteps to recede. When it could no longer be heard, the entire student council appeared to release a breath of relief as they all relaxed.<p>

The blue haired girl, Tsubasa, dropped a stack of paper she was working on onto a nearby desk and pulled out a chair before slumping down in it.

"Well," She said after running a hand through her hair, "that was unexpected."

Turning her head towards Sona, she commented, "Kaichou, when you told us to prepare for guest a today, I didn't expect it to be him."

"Who was that guy anyway?" Saji, the only boy left in the room, asked.

"You mean you don't know Gen-chan?" Momo looked surprised at that, before with a small exclamation of realization the raven haired beauty she palmed her head, "Ah, that's right. You were just reincarnated a couple of months ago weren't you? Of course you wouldn't have heard."

"Heard what? Is that guy a big shot or something?"

"Something like that," Tomoe, a cheerful looking girl in pigtails responded. Glancing at Sona from the edge of her eyes, she added with a playful smile, "Although what really surprised me was how open Kaichou was acting. I don't think I've ever seen her act like that outside of us, Rias and her precious Onee-sama. Normally she's so shy that she barely says anything more than she needs to."

"That's true." Tsubaki agreed as she handed her King a cup of steaming tea, "I honestly didn't expect them to get along so well this soon."

Taking the cup from her Queen, the topic of the conversation decided to cut interrupted. "How many times must I tell you not to talk about me as if I'm not even here?" Lifting the cup to her lips she paused, "And besides," she added before taking a sip, "I'm never shy."

"Sure you're not." Tomoe's playful smile turning into a teasing one as she insincerely agreed.

Letting out a sigh, Sona decided to not comment on her knight's tone, "I don't see what's surprising about my behavior," deciding to go back to the original topic of the discussion, "It's only natural; after all, it's wouldn't be too much of an exaggeration to say he's practically family."

"Ehh~~~!" Saji yelled out in surprise, "You mean that guy's your relative?"

Grimacing at the sound of her pawn's overreaction, Sona set her tea cup down, "I guess it's not surprising that you don't understand", she muttered quietly to herself before, making her decision with a sharp deceive nod, she stood up and faced Saji.

"Very well then, as your King it would be remiss of me to keep you ignorant." She clapped her hand and pointed at a chair for Saji to sit on, "so it's time for a history lesson."

Pacing across the room with her hand folded behind her back, Sona waited for Saji to settle himself in his chair before asking, "What do you know of my sister?"

"Ah!" Seemingly startled by the question, Saji needed a moment to think on it before answering "Well, your sister's a Maou right?" He said almost questioningly. Seeing Sona encouraging nod he carried on, "The Leviathan, one of the four leaders of the underworld and is responsible for foreign affairs. She and the other three are war heroes from the civil war and are considered to be among the strongest Devils in history."

"Correct," She said as she continued to pace in front of him, "And what about her Peerage?"

"Her Peerage?" He repeated before he tried racking his brain for an answer. "I…I…" he muttered out for a couple of seconds before slumping forward, disappointment filling his posture.

"Sorry Kaichou, I don't know." He said, looking more than a little shamefaced by his inability to answer.

The smallest hint of a smile made its way to her face at her Pawns overreaction, "Don't beat yourself up over it Saji, it's only natural for you not to know." She told the depressed boy, "After all, she doesn't have one."

"Really?" The shock of that seemed to knock him out of his depression. "Even though she's a Maou?" He asked, incredulity clearly written all on his face.

Grimacing at the question, Sona nodded her head as she subconsciously increased the speed of her pacing.

"Since the end of the Civil War against the Old Devil faction, my sister has refused to form a Peerage. Not even a single member." She lectured. "As you can no doubt imagine, my sister's lack of a Peerage came as a surprise to a lot of people. It soon became a huge subject of controversy in the Underworld. Add the fact that it had been over two hundred years and the problem only grew. It reached the point were rumors began to spread about her."

Her grimace turned to an outright scowl, "Rumors," Spitting that word out like a curse, "which claimed that the reason why she refused a Peerage was because she disapproved of Reincarnated Devils as a whole. That she considered them a blight on the purity of Devil-kind."

She angry waved her hand before her as if dismissing the idea, "Preposterous of course, my sister has never cared even the slightest bit about the blood purity of Devil-kind before but that didn't stop the rumors from spreading anyway. And every year the problem just seemed to keep getting worse.

"It reached the point that the other Maou's tried to intervene and attempted to force her to form a Peerage, even one just in name but that ended up blowing up in their faces. She was steadfast in her refusal to form a Peerage, not even a single member. Even informing her that she was running the risk of losing her position as a Maou if public unrest on the matter continued to grow failed to persuade her."

"In the end it only made matters worse, as when the public found out how hard she fought against the idea of forming a Peerage, it only helped to feed the flames." She paused her pacing and turned to face Saji as he continued to listen attentively.

"Honestly Saji, things were getting really bad. You have to understand that one of the biggest issues that plague modern Devil society is the subject of the Reincarnated Devils. Remember, that we have only been able to reincarnate humans to Devils only for the last couple of centuries and while that may appear as a long period of time for you, for Devils who can measure their lives in millennia, that was practically only two decades ago at most. Over two-thirds of living Devils still remember a time where the evils piece system didn't exist."

She turned and resumed her pacing. "In recent years tensions between Pure Devils and Reincarnated Devils have risen to an all-time high. And with the numbers of Reincarnated Devils steady increasing compared to how the numbers of Devils from the 72 pillars keep declining no matter what we do with each passing centaury, the situation didn't seem to be getting better any time soon."

"Despite all that it wasn't an immediate issue. Devils, because of their long lives, take far longer to change socially than humans do. While it is a growing problem it was not one that had to be dealt with immediately but it's only a matter of time. A few decades, maybe centaury or two, then the issue will become too big to ignore anymore."

"The Maous, still dealing with damages from the Civil War and the remaining threat posed by the remainder of the Three Factions, could not afford to alienate any member of the Devil communicate and thus have decided to remain neutral on the issue."

"So that means-" Saji muttered out as he connected the dots.

"Yes," Sona agreed, "that means that my sister's persistence in rejecting a Peerage was seen as her supporting the Pure Devils agenda. Which meant that as far as the public was concerned, the Maous where no longer considered neutral and have already chosen a side to support."

Releasing a frustrated sigh while adjusting her glasses, Sona continued, "Instead of being something that could be put off for a later time, it quickly became an issue that had to be addressed immediately. And just when it reached the point where the Maous had no choose but to leave their neutrality and publicly take a stance on the matter," Sona walked up and stood right in front of Saji before spreading here arms open, "the entire issue became pointless as one day out of the blue, my sister pranced into the middle of a press conference that Sirzechs was holding and informed him that she got a new Peerage member and pranced right out without saying another word."

"Ehh~~~~~!" Saji shouted in shock and truthfully she couldn't blame him for his reaction, as that was the same response that every Devil in that room gave at the news, Sirzechs included. Which was unfortunate for him as many of the reports had cameras.

His surprised face (jaw opened so wide that it reached the middle of his chest and his eyeballs bulging out) made the front page over Serafall's new Peerage member in a quite few of the newspapers. The newspaper companies have reported record breaking sales that day, though whether it was due to Serafall's announcement or Sirzechs picture was debatable.

A smile that was a cross between fondness and exasperation graces Sona's lips as she as muttered, "That's just like her."

Shaking her head at the memory, she continued, "Anyway that occurred a little over six months ago. Not surprisingly, after all the problems that was caused by her refusing to get a peerage for two centuries, only for her to turn around and suddenly get not just a new member but a Queen at that, had the whole supernatural world buzzing."

"Yeah I remember that," Tsubasa interjected, finally breaking the silence from the rest of the Peerage, "the Underworld's social network was filled for weeks about people messaging and tweeting each other over Serafall's new queen. Yet at the time all anyone knew about him was his name."

"Emiya Shirou," Sona confirmed, "his name and his picture was the only thing Serafall released to the public. That was however enough to trigger a global wide search effort for any information they could find about him.

"In the end, he turned out to be someone no one ever heard of before and I mean no one. Every news network, spy ring and government agency within and between heaven and hell tried to find everything they could on him.

"All for nothing, the collective effort of the entire Supernatural community failed to uncover even a scrap of information on the Leviathan's new Queen." The edge of Sona's lips lifted slightly, giving her an almost proud look. Her sister's ability to drive the entire world crazy with frustration was something that she couldn't but find amusing, especially after experiencing it herself for most of her childhood. It was nice having the rest of the world finally understand how she feels.

"The only thing they were able to confirm was that he formerly was a human but that was only because he showed no physical or magical traits of any other race rather than any success in their search effort."

Walking up to the seat she recently vacated, she sat down and took a sip of her now cool tea before she spoke again. "But that brought up another issue. A minor one to be sure, especially compared to the ones his appearance solved, but something that needed to be dealt with."

Holding out her now empty cup towards her Queen, who quickly poured her a new one, which she proceeded to drink instead of speaking.

Seeing that his King had no intention of continuing, Saji quickly reached the end of his patience, "And? What's the new problem?"

Lowering her cup and shooting her pawn a mildly disappointed look at his inability to wait and mentally promising herself to correct that weakness, answered. "His rank."

"That's it?" Saji complained, clearly not understanding the problem.

"Think about it gen-chan," Momo interjected. "What does a Devil's Peerage represent?"

"Themselves," after taking a moment of thinking on it, "a Devil's peerage is a representative of the Devil in question."

"Correct," Sona nodded approvingly, "now taking that into consideration, tell me what should his rank be? Not only was he the Queen of a Maou but he was also the only member of her Peerage, and since it took my sisters so long to find just one member, it appeared that he would remain the only member for the foreseeable future. Thus the burden of representing her falls completely on his shoulders."

Taking one final sip of her tea before setting it down before resuming, "Before Shirou's arrival, every appointed Queen of the Maous were either already high ranking Devils before they became Queens or renowned warriors of Ultimate-class fighting abilities. Shirou on the other hand is a complete unknown, for all they knew he could have been a weakling. Considering that it was my sister who chose him as her Queen made that a frightfully realistic possibility."

Sona repeated her original question. "So what should his rank be? Too low a rank and it will basically be an insult to a Maou, something that no one involved wanted. Yet they could not give an unknown a high rank. Not only would it stink of favoritism but they couldn't grant a high rank to what was potentially a weak Devil.

"Before it became too big a problem however my sister gave an outrageous suggestion. Even by her standards it was considered insane." Her completely grim expression was all that Saji needed to know that even after the fact, Sona still didn't approve of her suggestion.

"What did she say?"

"She wanted to arrange a fight between Sirzechs and Shirou." Sona stated calmly before closing her eyes and leaning away in anticipation of the yell of surprise that would no doubt be coming from the easily excitable teen.

After several seconds had passed and the anticipated yelling had yet to come, Sona slowly cracked open her eyes to see what the matter was, before blinking in surprise. She blinked again, and again, and one more time to be sure. Yet there was no denying what she was seeing.

There sitting stock still before her was a completely frozen Saji. Jaw hanging open and eyes wide in shock, his skin having paled by several shades, he remained seated completely motionless before her.

"Ah…Saji?" her voice held a rare tone of uncertainty as she questioned her unmoving pawn. "Are you alright?" When he didn't show even the slightest sign of responding to her comment she began to worry.

"Gen-chan?" Momo spoke up as well and when he still didn't respond the rest of the peerage started to worry.

Ruruko, a twin-ponytailed girl, walked up to her fellow pawn and waved a hand in front of his face. "Hello~~~ is anybody home in there Saji?" When he still didn't react, she reached out a hand and gave him a gentle poke on his shoulder.

The moment she made contact, Saji reacted.

"Ehh~~~~~~~~!" Saji ended up screaming so loud that the windows shook in their frames. Every Council member in the room reflexively clamped their ears, while poor Ruruko had almost fallen over as she jumped back in fright.

"SHE DID WHAT? IS SHE INSANE?" He shouted out, skin still pale with shock. "She wanted him to fight Sirzechs, as in the Super Devil Sirzechs? The strongest Devil in recorded history, that Sirzechs?"

"No, we're talking about the other Sirzechs, the one that works as a part-time accountant in the local mall." Tsubasa snarked, before reaching across the table and gently cuffing Saji on the back of the head. "Yes that Sirzechs and keep it down, you almost busted my eardrum."

"Normally I'd take offense for calling my sister insane but in this case I'm inclined to agree. What she wanted was completely insane." Pinching the bridge of her nose to stave of the headache the mere memory of the event brought on. "Somehow she was able to convince everyone else to go along with her madness and before I knew what was happening, Shirou and Sirzechs were already fighting."

"Well, what the hell happened?" He asked before noticing the serious his master was sporting and began feeling a little nervous. "He didn't win…did he?"

"No, of course not. He most certainly did lose." Sona assured him with a slow shake of her head, "Then again no one expected him to win nor was it the purpose of the fight. What everyone wanted to know was how strong he was and well… He proved himself to be most worthy of being my sister's queen."

Her eyes lost focus as she got lost in her memory "Sirzechs wanted to test Shirou's so he didn't initiate the fight and merely sat back and waited for him to strike the first blow. Instead of simply charging in, Shirou began to chant.

"Chanting?" Reya, a Bishop and thus one of the magic experts of the group, asked. "Like for a spell? But he's a Devil now; doesn't he realize that unlike human mages we don't need chants or circles to cast spells?"

"That's what we all thought too." Sona agreed. "Some of the Elder Devils watching actually started laughing and clamming how it was too soon for the kid to fight if he doesn't even know how to cast a spell properly."

Frowning at the thought of the Elder Devils, she continued, "As much as I hate to ever side with those old fools, at the time I was forced to agree. If Shirou didn't even understand the basics of how his Devil powers worked, it was going to end becoming even a bigger massacre than anyone ever expected."

"Honestly I was already apprehensive enough about the fight already, finding out that he was unable to use Devil magic however pushed me over the edge. I quickly turned around to find my sister and convince her to end this fight before she got her Queen killed, but the moment I caught a glimpse of her face I froze in place. She was wearing a look that I recognized all too well, a cocky 'I know something you don't know' expression of hers that she always wore just before she was about to prank someone…" she paused before admitting, "which was usually me."

"Not sure whether to feel reassured or even more terrified by the revelation, I decided to simply stand out of her line of fire for the time being and watch how things played out. By the time I turned back towards the match, Shirou had just completed his chant and…well, to say what followed was unexpected would be putting it mildly.

"A ring of fire emerged from beneath his feat, quickly spreading across the field to encircle Sirzechs within its embrace and with a flash of blinding light, the ring was replaced with a giant dome of flames.

"It was a brand of magic that no one had ever seen the like of before. Despite its appearance, what we first believed to be flames where actually not, as it emitted no heat and a Phenex member in the audience could sense no fire in its construction.

"Not only were we faced with a form of magic that we could neither understand nor identify but we also lost track of the two combatants as none of the cameras or sensors we had scattered across the battlefield could see through the dome. The few that were caught within its range did not transmit any images, which was supposed to be impossible. The only thing we could confirm was that both Shirou and Sirzechs were inside of the dome. And within nothing else we could do, we resigned ourselves to waiting it out.

"Fortunately our wait was not a long one. Hardly a minute had gone by since the formation of the dome, than it began to collapse as abruptly as it had appeared. We could finally see what was within the dome, but what greeted our eyes however was a bloody and wounded Sirzechs Lucifer…

…haven been brought down to his knees."

For a single moment, the entire Counsel room became so silent that you could have hear a pin drop before the silence was abruptly broken by the combined yells of shock from her each and every one of her Peerage.

"EHHH~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"

Rubbing her head at her Peerages overreaction reaction, Sona muttered under her breath, "By the Maou, their multiplying."

"He did what?" squeaked out a frightened Ruruko.

"B-b-but didn't you just say he lost?" a confused Saji question.

"I haven't heard anything about that! I thought all that happened was him giving Sirzechs a good fight." Tsubasa exclaimed, eyes wide in surprise.

Raising a single hand up Sona signaled her Peerage to be silent, which they immediately complied to. After waiting for a few seconds to make sure that they would remain silent, Sona continued speaking.

"I believe you are all misunderstanding something. First of all, Saji." She locked her sights onto her Pawn, "Shirou did lose. He was spotted a few seconds later, unconscious and lying face down on the ground only a few yards away from Sirzechs, having succumbed to his wounds."

Turning her eyes away from her Pawn's onto her Knights, "As for why you haven't heard of this, Tsubasa, I thought it would have been obvious. Sirzechs is widely considered to be the strongest Devil in existence, his strength is so acclaimed that most people actually consider him invincible, untouchable even.

"While that is for the most part untrue, it is a useful image to have. As the public face of both the Maous and the New Devil faction as a whole, he needed to be viewed as a perfect and unmatched being. Despite the possibly that Ajuka Beelzebub may actually be equally as strong as him, the entire Maous and Elder Devils agreed to make Sirzechs as the new poster boy for the New Devil faction when the war ended, so they did their best to bolster his admittedly already high reputation.

"That's why they could not allow the details of the match to spread. Even if he did win the fight that he was injured at all, by a newly minted Devil at that, could not be allowed to be known to the public. All the High-Ranking Devils that where there were unanimous in that. Even my sister agreed.

"Besides, Shirou had a distinct advantage in that fight. Sirzechs's primary weapon is his Power of Destruction, something that is simply too dangerous to be used outside of a life or death situation. While he could still use it defensively, it is highly unlikely that he was able to utilize it to its full power offensively against Shirou without taking the risk of killing him.

"On the other hand, there is no way of telling if Shirou would have also performed better in a life or death battle. Each and every one of Shirou's sword struck Sirzechs in non-fatal points, or not imminently fatal at least. Whether Shirou would have done better or worse in a real fight," she shrugged "who knows?"

"Swords Kaichou?" Her so far silent Queen asks.

"Ah, that right. I didn't get a chance to explain that did I?" She recalled, "When we first caught sight of him, Sirzechs body was completely littered with swords. There was easily over half a dozen blades piercing his entire body, his chest, back, legs, shoulders everything. And there were even more planted on the ground around him. Because of that, many theorized that Shirou's magic was based on swords somehow."

"You mean just like the one he showed us." Tomoe realized.

"If he made dozens of swords like that one, I can completely understand why he did so well." Momo barely withheld a shiver at the thought of that weapon. She may not have been the most knowledgeable about sword but she was the best in the Peerage at sensing magic. Even when she sat on the other side of the room she was overwhelmed by the pure power that poured out of that sword, it was so dense she could almost taste it. "That sword was dangerous Kaichou, easily a Maou level weapon."

"I, as well as many other of the Devils there, agree with you. Some even speculated that some of the swords that were spotted may have been of God-slaying level but the swords all dissipated into bits of light before anyone got the chance to examine them."

"Either way, while Shirou may not have been able to beat Sirzechs, he was able to wound him. His blades were able to reach him, to pierce the armor of the strongest Devil. At that point Shirou's strength could no longer be denied."

"That was enough to silence any dissenters. The Leviathan's Queen had proven his worth and was acknowledged by both the Elder Devils and the Maous as an Ultimate-level class Devil and was awarded the rank of prince, making him an equal in status to heirs of the 72 Pillars.

"The final result ended up completely satisfying the Reincarnated Devils, as this had not only dissuaded them of any doubts of my sister's stance on Reincarnated Devils but it was also the fastest rise in rank to have ever been recorded for a Devil, reincarnated or otherwise. To make things even better, Shirou is the first and only completely reincarnated human Queen to have been made part of a Maou's Peerage. This has caused my sister's reputation to flip among the Reincarnated Devils, actually making her the most popular among the Maous instead of the least." Sona shook her head in disbelief at that, "I swear, if I didn't know any better I would think she had planned the entire thing straight from the start."

"What about the Pure-Blooded Devils? I doubt they would have been pleased by the result." Tsubaki, the most politically conscious member of her Peerage, asked.

"That's the best part, every Pure-Blooded Devil that strongly opposed the rising pressure to grant more rights to the Reincarnated Devils were there to witness the fight and were completely cowed by his strength. For Devils power is everything and Shirou's strength was undisputable, so they quieted down for now. Though I have my doubt it will stay that way for long."

"The problem hasn't been fixed by any means, but this event was able to buy the Maous much need breathing space and have given them enough time to strengthen their position before tackling the issue.

"By the end of the day my sister had gotten her Queen, dealt with population's discontent with her and also decided to grant her Queen a title to honor the occasion."

Tsubasa broke out laughing at that, "Yeah, I remember that Title. It was awesome." At the words, several of the in room Devils began to chuckle along with her.

"What title did she give him?" Saji asked Sona, confused at the reaction of the rest of the Peerage.

A small, mean spirted smile appeared on her face, making her look so much like her sister it frightened everyone watching.

"They named him…"

The Queen of swords.

* * *

><p>There is no doubt in my mind that somewhere out there, Archer's laughing at me.<p>

I pushed myself off the wall that I was leaning on, that was located at the opposite end of corridor that contained the student council. I stopped reinforcing my ears, as I was no longer interested in eavesdropping on the rest of their conversation, and made my way to a quiet place to have my lunch.

This reminds me, I have to make sure Sona starts setting up measures to protect her room from magical surveillance from now on. Just because this is a human school is no excuse for her to get sloppy. That I was able listen in to her for the past five minutes without her noticing was all proof that I will need to convince her.

Ok sure, he may have been betrayed by the very ideals he had dedicated his whole life to, murdered by the very people he was trying to save and has to spend the rest of his existence in a perpetual hell as one of Alaya's Counter Guardian where he is forced to murder millions of innocent people just because they happened to be in the way but even he has never experienced anything as embarrassing as this.

I mean really, 'Queen of Swords' how tacky was that?

It was a good thing that there was no one in the corridor or they would have witnessed me fall to my hands and knees in despair. Knowing my luck, I would have ended up with an even more embarrassing nickname by the end of the day if anyone did end up seeing me.

I could tolerate the swords part, but Queen? Oh come on, I'm a guy! That Serafall has kept on trying to get me to adopt one of the songs made by the 'Queens" as my personal theme song didn't make me feel any better about the matter.

Oh my pride, my aching pride. It actually physically hurt. It's at moment like this that I hated being a devil. When I was still a human I simply wouldn't have cared. It never mattered to me what other people thought of me and I would have barely given any thought to an embarrassing name I might have been called by. Hell, I was dubbed the 'Janitor' by most of my classmates all through Junior high and all the way up to High school and it didn't even phase me.

Ever since I became a Devil however, Pride has ended up becoming my personal 'Sin'. Fortunately it was mostly limited to my swords and cooking but every now and then it crops up.

Like whenever I hear myself being referred to as a Queen.

Letting out a sigh of surrender, I decided to let it go. I had better things to do than waste my time over something I couldn't do anything about, like making sure Sona or the Gremory girl didn't get themselves killed.

I could feel the good mood that I had been enjoying since returning back to school plummet a bit at the thought. War was coming, whether with the other three fractions or some of the others groups that despised Devils. One way or the other war was coming to the Underworld.

That's why I had to go to such lengths to make sure Sona allowed me to train her. Sona in the end was half-right. Her sister did send me to train her but not for the game. I'm not sure Serafall's heart can take it if anything happened to her little sister, so I was here to make sure I'd never have to find out. Besides, I liked Sona, I would have been happy to watch over the kid even if Serafall didn't ask me to.

Oh just listen to me, I'm starting to sound like an old man. I'm only a year old than most of my classmates and I'm already thinking of every one of them as children.

I can worry about it later. Right now I better hurry if I wanted to a chance to eat my lunch. With that last thought, I quickened my past in my quest to find a suitable place to spend the rest of my lunch.

…but still, I'm a Queen of swords.

…Shut up Archer.

* * *

><p>Tsubaki was just finishing up some last minute paper work when she realized that her King wasn't in her usual spot, double checking their work. Instead she was standing in front of her chess set, glaring down at it.<p>

"Kaichou," approaching her Queen she hesitantly asked, "is something wrong?"

"…I just realized something," Sona finally answered after an abnormally long wait, "I never got a chance to play a game with him. That jerk tricked me!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

I'm much happier with how this chapter turned out. True there was a little bit too much politics that went longer than I expected to, but I'm overall pleased with it.

Cliche number 2: Why a Pawn? Seriously why are there so many characters turned into god damn Pawns? I have seen Naruto, a person who can tear down mountains, get revived with a single pawn. I have seen OC who are Angel/human hybrids with a talent in magic turned into pawns. Hell I have seen characters with the power to kill gods turned into Pawns. Why? Can someone please explain to me why? It just doesn't make sense to me.

Although I believe that a Queen is a perfect fit for Shirou (He's a physical fighter that uses magic to arm himself and strengthen his body), the reason why I choose to make him Queen is for a plot related reasons that will be revealed later on.

This chapter was Beta'd by Bigreader in the Omniverse, you have him to thank for saving you from the horrors of my spelling.


	3. Chapter 3 : The Devil's guidebook 1

**Authors notes: **This chapter will explain the rules of the world and how it works. While it is not strictly necessary, a lot of the magic and history of the world I plan to make will make a lot more sense if you read it. **(Still under revision)**

The Devil's guidebook

For the newly reincarnated

Class: King/Queen/Rook/Knight/Bishop/Pawn

Master:

Official Rank:

(Note, an official rank may not reflect on the actual combat ability. There have been several cases where a low-ranked devil have defeated a high-ranked one. This is however more common occurrence with pure-blooded devils who were granted a high rank at birth rather than low-born devils who earned their ranks by rising up the ranks.)

Race:

Strength: N/A

Endurance: N/A

Agility: N/A

Mana: N/A

Luck: N/A

Scared Gear/ Ability/ Weapon: N/A

Ranking:

There are five main Rankings E, D, C, B & A

Note that the gaps between ranks are large. So much so that it is more than possible for a competent fighter to defeat several opponents that are only a single rank beneath him.

E = The base value and it is estimated to be 10 times more powerful than an average human.

D = high class devils

C = Ultimate Class / 8-10 winged angle

B = Maou Class / 12 winged angle / Lower gods

A = Super Devil / higher Gods / Evil Dragons

Ex = The 'Ex' rank is applied when the power cannot be classified in the normal system and is in a league of its own. While it can be applied to extremely powerful creatures such as the Great Red, it also includes abilities that are simple too unique to be proper measure such as 'Time Travel' or an ability that grants you the power to always be slightly stronger than the opponent you are currently facing.

'+' = The plus sign indicates that under certain circumstances, the Stat may exceed the designated rank by up to, but no higher than one rank.

For example, a devil bishop's speed can increase from an E Rank to a D Rank when flying in the air if the devil is a highly skilled flyer. In such a case, a rank of E+ would be awarded.

'++' indicates that the Stat may increase by two ranks, while '+++' by three.

'-' = The minus sign indicates that the Stat doesn't completely qualify for its rank either due to it being too weak for the rank but too strong to justify a lower ranking, or has a flaw or weakness that prevents it from completely qualifying for the Rank.

For example, a devil knight may have a C rank in endurance, but due to the inherited weakness of the legs for knight classes, the devil's legs may only qualify for a D rank in endurance. In such a case, a rank of C- would be awarded.

The gaps in power between Ranks also increase as they get higher. For example the difference in strength between E and D rank is many times smaller than the difference between B and A.

Racial Traits:

Devil's Luck: All devils are blessed (or cursed) with a luck of the devil.

A devil's luck is influenced heavily by how powerful the devil in question is. An extremely powerful devil will result in luck that can rival a Dragon's. It will attract other powerful beings to him as well as potential mates of the opposite genders and will often allow the devil to stumble upon the most unusual situations.

There has been documented cases in the past where powerful devils have either stumbled on a damsel in distress on the way home for work or even have found themselves accidently walking into the middle of a Cthulhu summoning ritual that involved the sacrifice of virgins by randomly wandering through the streets at night (each of the four current Maou have reported experiencing both of these events).

Whether such luck can be considered a blessing or a curse depends on the devil's personality. Those who seek battle or adventure will see it as a blessing. While those who wish for peaceful lives will look upon it as a curse.

It is rumored that the Maou Falbuim Asmodeus has the potential to one day become a super devil with enough training but refuses to do so in fear of what would become of his life if he gains the luck of a super devil. Such is his fear of receiving such luck that it is believed to be one of the attributing factor to his famed laziness.

While the Super Devil Sirzechs Lucifer, who is considered to be the strongest devil alive, is band from every casino in the underworld due to his absurdly monstrous luck that has resulted in him having several consecutive winning streaks when it comes to games of pure chance.

An extremely weak devil's luck however will have no notable difference in comparison to that of an ordinary human.

Flight:

All Devils are cable of flight.

Though Devils reincarnated from species without wings tend to be less skilled flyers than their natural born counterparts as they lack the innate instincts of flying, all devils can eventually become skilled flyers given enough time and practice.

Weakness to holy and light elements:

Due to being classified as 'Dark' beings; all devils have an inherited weakness to 'light'. Holy magic on the other is not naturally harmful for devils but artificially made to be so.

Before the original Satan was cast out from heaven for defying God, he bore none of the weakness Devils currently have towards Holy magic and was even able wield holy magic himself. But that all ended with his fall.

The Holy element is an artificially created element. Unlike the other natural elements such as light and fire that existed since the creation of the earth, Holy was brought to existence in the world through the will of God and is thus is considered to be a reflection of God's will. As God has rejected all Devils, due to his anger at Satan's betrayal, so has the Holy element rejected devils in turn.

While light and holy magic are often incorrectly considered to be the same, there is a significant difference between the two despite their resemblance. It is why crosses and holy water are harmful to devils despite not containing any light element within them.

Please note, that attacks that are made up of both Holy and Lights elements are extremely dangerous to devils. Light spears of angels for example contain both Holy and Light elements while the light spears of fallen angels only contain light element. It is for this reason why Heaven is still considered a dangerous threat to Hell, despite the existence of two super devils and the substantial increase in the number of devils thanks to the creation of the evil piece system.

Silver tongue:

All Devils are blessed with a Silver Tongue.

This ability allows them to understand all spoken languages, even ones that are not human based. As long in can be spoke through a human's through, it can be understood. Though this only works with face-to-face communication. The magic behind this ability require both parties to be physically present to work.

When communicating over the over long distances by non-magical means such as through the telephone, this ability will have no effect. However, the 'Silver Tongue' will allow devils to learn the language they are speaking in at a prodigal rate, enabling devils to achieve near native proficiency in under a year when immersed in an environment where they are continually forced to speak said language. Which is the reason why many older devils are able to naturally communicate in dozens of different languages.

There are however two flaws with this ability. Written language are not translated and thus must be learned naturally. Expressions and idioms that don't have an exact match in a language that the devil naturally knows will fail to translate, or worse, are translated incorrectly.

Take heed of the second flaw as it has been known to lead to disaster.

A well-known example of this occurred approximately three thousand years ago, during the reign of King Solomon the wise. A high class devil of the now extinct Naberius Clan named Alcaeus was able to successfully establish a contract with the King, who was considered the most influential human of the time. While the precise details of the contract was lost to time and war, what records remain showed that the family profited heavily from it.

Unfortunately, the entire thing ended in disaster after a translation error. Alcaeus despite thoroughly researching the king's culture in order negotiate properly, never bothered to take the time to learn to speak the language naturally.

At the time, it was customary to talk about your personal life before talking about business, apparently to show that you cared about your business partner wellbeing instead of just their money, and a common conversation topic was one's family.

During this particular conversation, King Solomon's mother was brought up and Alcaeus naturally tried to pay the King's mother a complement. Now while the exact words he meant to say were lost to time, but according to witnesses and the King himself, Alcaeus ended up calling his mother a 'hot piece of ass'. While historians believe that this was likely a result of a translation error of the spell, it didn't matter in the end for poor Alcaeus.

The King was understandably so enraged by what he perceived as a devil trying to seduce his mother that he promptly chopped his head off.

Let this be a lesson to all you new Devils. Be careful when using a language you're not familiar with. You never know when you may end up making a pass on someone's mother. You may end up losing your head when you least expect it.

Creatures of the Night:

Devils are nocturnal creatures.

They have more energy and strength during the night, while daylight leaves them drained and lethargic. Devils, like most nocturnal creatures, are also gifted with excellent night visions allowing them to see even in the darkest of nights.

Devil Magic:

All Devils are capable of casting and using a form of magic only available to Devils. Unlike human magicians who utilize their knowledge of equations and runes to cast spells, Devils can cast spells through the power of their imagination alone.

In the most basic sense, all a Devil has to do to cast a spell is to will their magic into the form they desire. For example, if a Devil wished to cast a ball of fire all he needed to do was pour out their magic and will it into the form of a flame. While it is a little more complicated than that and will require practice to master, magic has always come instinctively to all Devils even reincarnated ones.

There have been many documented cases where recently Reincarnated Devils were successfully able to use magic on their first attempt.

Shape Shifting:

Devils are born with the ability to shape shift their form to a limited extent. While it cannot be used for any extreme changes, such a growing a third arm, it can be used to alter one's appearance.

Most notably Devils are cable of adjusting their age to make them appear either younger or older than their actual age. This is why Devils thousands of years old may still appear to be in their mid-twenties.

While changing the colour of one's hair and skin is not possible, Devils are capable of removing or shifting the fat in their body. Finding an obese Devil is rare thanks to this ability because a Devil needs to eat an obscene amount of food daily in order to gain enough fat to negate their ability to remove it.

A recent trend among younger Devils is to shape their fat into muscles or curves to improve their appearances. Due note however that even if you shape your fat to look like a muscle, you will not gain any actual strength.

Reinforced body:

Devils, like all magical beings, gain their physical strength from their magic. All devils, both born and reincarnated, have an almost instinctive ability to automatically reinforce their body with magic to harden and strengthen it. This is the source of a Rooks strength and the Knights speed.

Yet why does the Bishop, the piece with the highest magical ability, does not enjoy these benefits. The reason is due the amount of Mana their body can handle.

Fortunately devils, unlike human mages, have nothing to fear from infusing their body with too much Mana as their minds are able to instinctively tell when they have reached their limit and block out any additionally Mana. Some devils in the past have attempted to overcome this limit by shutting down the mind's ability to block the flow of Mana. They theorized that the body does not in fact reinforce itself to its maximum potential and that by removing the block Devils would be able to reach unprecedented levels of strength.

All Devils involved in these experiments have died with rather predictable and messy results.

There are many creatures in the world with high magical ability, but lack the body to completely utilize their magic reserves. Almost every species would fall under this category, which is considered a good thing as anyone with a body that is capable handling their complete reserves would drain their body of Mana almost instantly. Although there are exceptions to this rule.

The most notable of these are the Nekoshou. They are a rare sub-species of Nekomata (humanoid Cat Yokai) that despite having above average magical reserves, are blessed with bodies that are capable of wielding massive amounts of Mana. So much so, that if an Average Nekomata tried using their body to their maximum capacity they would drain their entire magic supply in less than two seconds.

Fortunately, Nekoshous have found a way around this problem that would allow them to utilize their bodies to the limit. Nekoshous are different from other Nekomata breeds in that they are capable of wielding Senjutsu. Senjutsu allows them to absorb the life energy, more commonly known as chakra, from the world around them into their bodies. Using Chakra in place of Mana they are then capable of using their bodies to its maximum potential.

Unfortunately due to recent events, Nekoshous have become a rare and mostly unwelcome species in the Devil community (for more information please look up the information in the chapter on Yokai Races).

Some newly reincarnated devils with high magical reserves have occasion been found to have trouble controlling their new found strength and end up crushing anything they hold. Fortunately this period rarely ever last long as the devils will soon naturally adapt to their new found strength given time.

It is however advised that these Devils be isolated from normal human and refrain from handling fragile valuables until they have learned to restrain their power as it an unfortunately common occurrence for these newly incarnated Devils to end up hurting the people around them.

Curse of the 7 sins:

Devils, due to their very existence being the embodiment of sin, are especially suitable to the seven 'deadly' sins from the bible.

These are:

Lust

Gluttony

Greed

Sloth

Wrath

Envy

Pride

Most, if not all, devils embody at least one of these sins. Some represent several.

However, if it was simply a matter of being 'sinful', the 7 sins would not be known as a curse. The problem is the devils have the tendency of losing control of themselves when indulging in these scene.

There have been cases when a Devil who embodied Gluttony spent every waking moment eating whatever food he could get his hands on, not sparing the time to do anything, else not even bathing. While a Devil who embodied Wrath would attack anyone over the slightest insult, even just walking into such a Devil can set him off.

In an effort to limit the effect of these sins, pure-blooded devils (who are especially suitable to the 7 sins) tend to pick one of the 7 sin and deliberate indulge in it in a controlled manner.

For example, a Devil who chooses to indulge Lust would often create a harem of women (or men for female) in their peerage and act out their lust on their peerage but only on their peerage. By conditioning themselves to limit their desires on their peerage/harem they eventual train themselves to only indulge in their lust with their peerage/harem, thus preventing their weakness for Lust from acting out in other unpleasant manner.

It also the reasons why harems are such a common thing in the Devil community.

Please note, that due to the low birthrates in the Devil community, homosexuality is highly fronded upon and is considered to be a betrayal from ones duty as a Devil, especially so in the pure-blood community which is has been dying out in recent years. Bisexually however is a completely accepted and even encouraged practice as long as it an act of lust not love.

Another example of using a peerage to limit a deadly sin is Greed. Some Devils after choosing a particular person to join their peerage tend to go to extreme lengths to get their hearts desire. Lying and deceiving a potential peerage member is common occurrence, and even arranging their death by a third party then 'saving' them by reincarnating them to ensure their loyalty is not an unheard of practice. Their Greed for the member tends to cloud the minds of even the most ethical of Devils.

But ironically these same greedy Devils tend to make the best masters, as they never want to let any of their peerage members go, they would go to great lengths to make them happy so that their peerage members would willingly stay with them. The Gremory Clan is especially renowned for their Greed when it come to their Peerages as it has been said that they are willing to go as far as treating their peerage them as family to keep them happy enough to never leave.

The Maou Sirzechs Lucifer, when he was still a Gremory, is said to have desired his now Queen and wife, Grayfia Lucifuge, so badly that not only did he romance and court her during the civil war despite her being a member of the old faction and him the leader of the new one, but he also ended up leading a charge deep into enemy territory for the sole purpose of retrieving her when her family locked her away to prevent the two from rendezvousing.

While reincarnated devils tend to no show so any particular disposition to any one of these sins at first, given time, they will eventual succumb to one of them as they age. The effects of the 7 sins tend to grow as the individual's devil abilities develop. The stronger the Devil, the more easily they would fall to temptation.

While devils as whole embrace these sins, partially because they enjoy it and partially because it tends to infuriate their angel counterpart so much, it is considered a sign of weakness for devils succumb to one of these sins. Devils are expected to be in control of their sins, not allow it to control them.

That is why the Maou are expected to only have a single wife and not a harem. As leaders of all Devils, they are expected to set an example on how devils, even ones as powerful as them thus more susceptible, can resist the most common temptations, lust.

The three most common Sins among Devils are Lust, Greed and Pride.

Stats:

Please note that the following information is the based on the base parameter of a newly reincarnated devil with a regular King as a master.

Stats can vary greatly depending on the strength and skill of the reincarnated devil, the amount of evil pieces used in the reincarnation process and the pure magical ability and raw strength of the King.

Stats can also change over time with training.

Class: Knight (Base)

Master:

Official Rank:

Race:

Strength: E

Endurance: E-

Agility: D

Mana: E-

Luck: E

Scared Gear/ Ability/ Weapon: N/A

Class: Rook (Base)

Master:

Official Rank:

Race:

Strength: D

Endurance: D

Agility: E-

Mana: E

Luck: E+

Scared Gear/ Ability/ Weapon: N/A

Class: Bishop (Base)

Master:

Official Rank:

Race:

Strength: E-

Endurance: E-

Agility: E

Mana: D

Luck: E

Scared Gear/ Ability/ Weapon: N/A

Class: Pawn (Base) - single pawn piece

Master:

Official Rank:

Race:

Strength: E-

Endurance: E

Agility: E-

Mana: E-

Luck: E-

Scared Gear/ Ability/ Weapon: N/A

Class: Queen (Base) –

Master:

Official Rank:

Race:

Strength: D-

Endurance: D-

Agility: D-

Mana: D-

Luck: D-

Scared Gear/ Ability/ Weapon: N/A

For newly initiated devils, these ranks may appear to be rather low but that is only because they fail to comprehend the true meaning behind the ranks.

Even a Devil with an E Rank in Strength will have enough grip strength to crush a human's skull with their bare hands and bench press several times their weight. And while a Devil with D rank in Magic may have enough power to destroy a building, one with a B rank in Magic will have enough power to destroy a small country several times over.

The gaps in Ranks are huge so never underestimate an opponent, even one with a 'mere' E rank in Strength. You may end up getting your hand crushed if you're not careful.

Do not be discouraged however if you find yourself with an unusually low rank (Pawns I'm looking at you here), Devils are creatures that can live for hundreds of years and as long as they train their strength will never stop growing. Unlike humans, Devils have practically no uppers limits to their power. As long as you continue to train you will continue to grow.

There is a reason why the strongest Devils in the underworld are centuries old. No matter how talented you are, nothing can replace the strength gained through years of training an experience. Even the Maou themselves were once considered weak.

As the Strongest living Devil Sirzechs Lucifer said:

"Power earned will always surpass power given."

Personal Skills:-

Every individual have certain skills that can benefit them either inside or outside of combat. Personal skills should not be mistaken with Racial Traits, which are available to everyone from that particular species, or Inherited Power, which is magic, passed down through blood such the power of destruction.

Examples of Personal Skills are Swordsmanship (One's skill in wielding the sword) and Charisma (The natural talent to lead and inspire either individuals or groups)

While most Personal Skills are positive in nature there do exists negative skills, such as the 'Natural Berserker' Skill (where one losing himself in the heat of battle and becomes incapable of higher thought).

Personal Skills are just as important if not more that an individual's Stats. Stats can be considered a measure of physical capability, then Personal skills can be considered as the talents that can effectively make use of your physical capabilities.

Sacred Gears:-

Also known as God's Artifacts are items bestowed upon humans by God.

They are powerful objects that grant humanity supernatural abilities that would have been otherwise impossible for them to gain. There are thousands of types of Sacred Gears around the world, each with a variety of effects. Some are supportive in nature, such as healing scared gears. Others are more combated oriented and grant their wielder the strength to fight supernatural beings head on.

There even exist Sacred Gears that are able to kill gods.

These are the Longinus, the tools that destroy god, named after the spear that slayed the Son of God and thirteen of them were gifted upon mankind. Be advised that if you ever find yourself facing a Longinus wielder in battle, run. Just turn around and run, nothing short of an ultimate class can take down even the weakest trained Longinus wielder.

(And for those of you foolish enough to disregard my sound advice and attempt to try fight a Longinus user in battle anyway. Keep in mind that when you die, and you will die, your soul will not end up in heaven as by being reincarnated as devil you are no longer eligible to enter there. You are going to end up in a far darker place. So do your forsaken soul a favor and just run.)

God gifted humanity these Sacred Gears to protect them. He heard the suffering of his children, how died by the millions at the hand of the supernatural, and moved by their plight he acted. That is why he forged the scared gears, to grant humanity the power to fight back against the monster of the world.

For they are his divine gifts, a holy blessing which he intended to bestowed upon mankind and only mankind.

Naturally as devils we try to fuck up God's plans whenever we can.

Devils would often go to great length to recruit Sacred Gears wielders into their peerage, both to the fact that they tend to make exceptionally powerful devils, and because there is nothing funnier for us devils to see one of God's well-crafted get shafted, as the very weapons he created to hinders us, make us a stronger instead.

Rumor has it that Michael almost had a heart attack when the first sacred gear user was reincarnated as a devil.

There is one more important thing to note about Sacred Gears.

At one point in the past it was widely believed that Sacred Gear users were randomly selected. It was theorized that once the host of a Sacred Gear dies, the Sacred Gear will instantly transfer to a newly conceived human and latch onto its soul.

The theory however was disproven after Sacred Gears researcher have found that gears can take up to ten years before finding a host and is born back into the world (due to their existence multiple version of the same Scared Gears and the time it took for their wielders to awaken them, it took centuries of research to discover this).

It is now acknowledged that Scared Gears are paired up with the souls of individuals that match them the most. Healing Scared Gears for example would never end up with a soul that enjoys violence and combat despite that such a Scared Gear would be extremely useful for any warrior. They would often be pair up with people with kind and gentle natures that would desire nothing more than to help others (many of these people would have eventually become doctors or healers even if they never awoken their Scared Gear).

This is most evident with dragon based Scared Gears, where every wielder of such gears in record history all shared similar characteristic to that of a dragon. They were all proud individuals with confidence in their strength, if not outright arrogance, and an insatiable lust for battle.

The current wielder of the Divine Dividing Scared Gears, Vali Lucifer, is a prime example of this.

**Authors notes:**

That's all I have written so far (just started the next chapter). So tell me what you think, should I continue this story or am I complete garbage at this fanfiction thing?


	4. Chapter 4: The White Cat

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or High school DxD, just the original concepts and plot in this story. This Crossover is a complete AU**

**Author's Notes:**

Let me begin by saying thank you. I mean really, over 100 reviews and 250 favorites for what is basically the first chapter of my first story, this is unbelievable for me. When I started I was afraid I wouldn't even get ten measly reviews. You have to understand that before this, I had never shown anyone any work I had ever written before. Heck this is the second story I have ever written period. So as you can image how nervous I was and how grateful I am for all the support. As a thank you for everyone, I spent all my spare time over the last six day typing you the next chapter of this story which totals 25K, the most I had ever written in such a short amount of time by a large margin.

Ok onto questions.

**Ilya: **A lot of you were curious about her, so let me just say that Ilya will play a big part of this story. I won't tell you what happened to her but that's because I have a great idea for introducing her that I don't want to ruin. But if you want a clue, you'll find one if you read the Devils Guide part 2 that I'll upload soon after this chapter.

**Other F/S N characters:** No. I'm sorry for those of you who are disappointed but the only characters from fate/stay night are Shirou and Ilya, no one else...Well, maybe Zelretch because let's face it he's Zelretch but if he does appear it will only be to troll Shirou not for plot reason.

**Devils Guide book:** I have received a lot of mixed reviews concerning chapter 3, so let me explain. Part of the reason why I had written it is because I am a huge fan of F/S N status page where you can look up information about the Servants and their history and I wanted to make something like that. The second reason is because this DXD is going to be a complete AU, so I needed to right down all the rules of the universe so I can make it work and I thought it a lot of Readers would enjoy it so I made the guide book explain how the new universe works.

BTW I have started keeping plot clues in the Devils Guide book so good job if you spot them.

**Shirou is too Op or underpowered: **for those of you who wanted to know how strong Shirou is I attached his Stats profile in the bottom of the page for you to see (I may make some minor changes later). I was planning to keep it hidden until his first real battle, but it looks like people will enjoy things better if they had the information beforehand. Please note, that my Shirou has NO additional combat skills that Cannon Shirou didn't have (or would eventually gain).

Please note that Shirou's strength doesn't lie in his stat or raw physical abilities, but in his skills and adaptability. His stats will improve, but only very slowly over time. The strongest in the DxD world are centuries old for a reason. But don't worry; Shirou has a lot of tricks up his sleeves.

I will also make it clear, that I do not intend for this story to have tones of crazy power ups one after the other like DXD. In this story people will glow slowly and steadily over time, at best a character might get one power up over the course of the entire story (like Kiba and his balance breaker)

And remember, just because Shirou dislikes someone, doesn't make them a bad person. It just means Shirou and they don't get along.

**Fight Vs Sirzechs:** A lot of you were surprised he did so well against Sirzechs, well he did so for two reasons one he was given time to summon the UBW plus one more reason which I explained in this chapter.

**Characters Appearances**: All the characters of DXD will be based upon the LN not Anime (I like the style better.)

**Cliché**: I forgot to address the nudist cliché. This isn't a fanfic thing but an anime thing. If devils didn't care about nudity why the hell does Dress Breaker even work?

**Root:** As for by the root thing? Is it really that bad? I always liked it, however since it bothers so many reader, I have already edited it out of the old chapter and I don't plan on using it anymore (I kind of used it once in this chapter but that's because it fits the scene so well and you'll never see it again.)

**Pairing:** a lot of you are asking about pairing and it's…. a surprise ;) But I will say that this story will have some romance in it but it will be REALISTIC. Which means no love in first sight or 'omg you saved my life so I'm instantly in love with you even if I don't really know you and you have ten other women' crap. Whether that makes this a single or multi pairing I won't say but I promise you I'll make it a good one.

**Serafall's Peerage:** Wait and see. I will say that everything relating to her peerage or lack of one is plot related.

**Editing and Beta:** I finally got the first chapter edited and the second one is on the way thanks to by beta. But I could really use the help from another Beta, one that has basic understanding Nasuverse. Anyone willing to lend a hand please PM me.

BTW I reread this chapter twice after finishing it so I hopped it's of better quality than my last

_**This is an AU**_: A lot of people are worried that Shirou is too strong for the villains of the first few volumes. Well, don't be because this is a complete AU. Nothing is going to follow cannon. In fact by the end of the next chapter or two the story will go so far off cannon you'll no longer be able to see it. This chapter and the next I'll be setting up the stage and introducing the character, after that the Real plot will being.

Ok onto the chapter as well. I really loved how this chapter turned out. True the beginning was a little rough and stretched out at times but by the second half the words just flew out of me and I think it ended up great. So tell me what you think.

Please note, I'm still an amateur in writing and still learning the ropes so if I did something that makes no sense I'm more than willing to rewrite a chapter to fix it.

Ok, then. I think that's everything.

* * *

><p><strong>Story Start<strong>

The white cat

_Sometimes you're so much like me that I'm surprised we're not a real father and son_

Kiritsugu didn't want to teach me anything to do with magic. Time and time again I asked only to end up rebuffed. After almost two years of trying I only was able to convince him to teach me the very basics. Even then he only seemed to be willing to teach me half-heartedly.

Nothing I said or did seemed to budge him. I had actually begun to resign myself to the little that he was willing to part with.

That was at least until he found out my Origin.

Then everything changed.

_A dual origin is a rare thing Shirou_

How rare?

_So rare, that you and me are the only ones that I personally know of_

While I still ended up learning nothing of what I then thought as 'real' magic. Nothing to do with fighting or anything that may have been useful in helping me in accomplishing my dream of becoming a hero. Despite his change of heart, Kiritsugu viciously guarded me from any form of magic he deemed dangerous.

Which was almost everything really. Magic, or Magecraft as he called it, was a very dangerous art after all. I did however learn the fundamental theories that make up Magecraft and developed a better understand of how the supernatural world worked but that was pretty much it.

_You only have a single element which is Sword, just like that of your origin._

_When an element and origin match, it makes your magic incredibly specialized. Enabling you to cast spells in your field of specialty that no one can match._

_Consequently, it will make it almost impossible for you to cast a spell outside of your element, except for the most basic of spells. _

_Even then it will take you years of practice to do what would take another magus mere days to learn._

While it was clear he said that to discourage me, I didn't mind. I was willing to work as hard and as long as it takes. Besides, at the time I thought having a magic based on swords was really cool. Kiritsugu just laughed when I told him.

_However, your element may only be one but your origin is dual-natured. Though it is unlikely to have any real effects on your Thaumaturgy._

Why?

_An origin doesn't have anything directly to do with your magecraft; it instead tells more about what kind of person you are and what path in life you'll follow._

_It is questionable if you would ever be any to cast any spells relating to your second Origin. With a paired element-origin of Sword and with you lacking any of the 5 Primary elements, it borders on impossible for you to do so._

_You just might be able to scrap some of the low levels spells at best but even that is unlikely, and even if you succeed I highly doubt it will be anything impressive._

He was right. Even after all these years, I haven't learned a single thing than can be referred to as a proper spell when it came to my second origin.

I probably never will either.

_Do not be mistake however, despite its name your origin has nothing to do with the third magic. While it's true that there is some resemblance between the two, in reality they're completely different things._

_The third magic is the magic of the soul and the power to control it._

_Your origin however deals with what's within the soul and the ability to understand it._

I didn't understand what he meant of the time, but I just nodded along anyway.

_Honestly, you will probably be never gain anything of use from it in combat. Other than helping you better understand and emphasis with people, I doubt you'll gain anything of worth from it._

_But then again, perhaps if I had a bit more empathy back then I wouldn't have…_

Kiritsugu does them sometimes, were he just drifts of in a middle of speaking and loses himself in his thoughts. I never thought anything of it back then. To me he was old, and old people did that all the time right? He kept doing it more and more as he got older after all.

_Shirou,_

_I still won't teach you anything but the basics and theories. But I think that second origin of yours can do the world some good._

I didn't understand why Kiritsugu needed to state the obvious. Of course it will be good for the world. I was gonna be a Hero wasn't I? Again, he just laughed at me when I told him.

_But really, who ever heard of such an absurd thing?_

_A dual-origin of_

"_Spirit and Sword"_

* * *

><p>The sun broke out from behind the clouds, sending life-giving light pouring down onto the smooth white surface of the rooftop. The muffled shouts and cheers of the playing students made its way up from the courtyard below, giving the place a lively atmosphere despite its current unoccupied state. A soothing gentle breeze flowed through the rooftop, ruffling the bangs of my hair in passing and cooling my warm body.<p>

At this moment, there was perhaps no better location in the entire school. A place of peace and tranquility where any weary student can come to rest their body and soul.

But of course I noticed none of it.

I had no time to waste on such foolishness, oh no. Something far more worthy is currently holding my attention. I leaned back to better take the sigh of it in, to bask in its presence. A more beautiful sight I had never seen.

In front of me was an open lunchbox.

Filled with rice so white and fluffed up it looked to be made from flakes of the purest snow. Shrimp tempura that has been baked to such a perfect shade of brown that it shone like glittering gold in the sunlight. Fresh green vegetables carved into the shapes of flowers lined the edges of the box, paired with slices of brightly colored fruits, giving the entire ensemble an almost aesthetic feel to it. And finally, the very heart of this masterpiece, ten perfectly boiled sausages sliced up to form little octopuses… with tiny little smiles on their faces.

It…it was beautiful, simply beautiful.

Is this what Fuji-nee felt whenever I cooked for her? Is this why she went crazy whenever she didn't get the chance to sample my food? If so, then I understand. I completely one hundred percent understand. My cooking is freaking awesome.

Pride. That was the Sin that had been placed upon me when I had willingly chosen to abandon my human form and replaced it with that of a Devil instead. Once, I had thought of it as nothing more than a burden for me to bear. A Sin no different than what the Bible had claimed it to be.

But I was wrong, so very very wrong.

Not long after my transformation, I had discovered that my Pride had manifested itself in primarily two forms outside of the general feeling of self-pride. The first was in my swords. To me my swords have always been tools, a means to an end. The cause that I would wield them for was something that I could be proud of, never the swords themselves.

As even from the start I knew that they were flawed. Compared to the real thing my blades were defective copies. Even the greatest of my swords would be found lacking when placed side-by-side to its predecessor. The reason for their strength lies not in the skills of my craft but the majesty of the original swords. So what reason was there to take pride in when the swords that I craft with my hands can never match the one that I picture in my mind?

However that was how it was in the past, it no longer holds any truth in the present reality. Since my arrival to this dimension and my reincarnation as a Devil, my skills have grown. With no resistance from Gaia for me to fight when I cast my projections, with no constant deterioration to my swords, I can now create swords of far better quality with significantly less effort than I ever had been able to before.

Add in the boost in quality and power that my circuits have received, and I have finally been able to the bridge the gap. No longer are my swords defects, inferiors. While not quite the level of the original, they can now stand by its side with their predecessor without shame.

I have finally found pride in my swords.

The second manifestation of my Pride appeared in a completely unexpected manner. Although now that I look back on it, it should not have been such a surprise. After all my first form of Pride appeared in my skills in crafting swords, it only stands to reason that my second one would also be linked to another one of skills.

Still, I never would have expected it to be cooking.

That's right people I, Emiya Shirou, have sold my eternal soul and have been transformed into the fiendish and despicable form of a Cooking Devil. Hide your children and run away before I cook you all a demonic dinner…

…The sad part is I really should have seen something like this coming when I decided to sell my soul to a Devil that was dressed up as a Magic girl.

And there goes Archer laughing his ass off again.

But really despite the sound of it, it has actually been great. I have never realized how good my cooking was before. Sure I've had many people complement me on my cooking. Fuji-nee would end up shedding tears of anguish if I fail to cook her at least one meal a day and even Saber, someone who has literally eaten feasts fit for a king on a daily basis, loved my cooking.

But it was not until I finally tasted my own cooking as a Devil and realized how _amazingly _good it was did I finally believed them. Till then I always thought they were exaggerating or simply praised me because they were unwilling or unable to cook for themselves *cough* Rin *cough*. How did I never notice how good I was before I'd never know.

Pride may still be a sin but it makes my food taste so much better. That alone would have made turning to a Devil totally worth it. Hell, if it meant I can enjoy life even more than as far as I'm concerned more Sin is a great thing. Banzai for sin, Banzai for debauchery.

Speaking of tasting better, it was time for me to finally enjoy my food.

Snapping open a pair of wooden chopsticks, I picked up a nice good chunk of my rice. Closing my eyes to better savor the taste, I opened my mouth and slowly brought the rice up to my lips before snapping my jaws over…nothing apparently.

I opened my eyes and looked down to find my chopsticks empty of rice and without even the slights of signs of where it may have gone. Confused, I glanced around to find out where it had gone when I froze in place as I caught sight of a familiar looking girl.

_ Ilya!? _

Almost instantly, without conscious thought or will, I had begun to look within her soul before my common sense kicked in and I quickly stopped myself before catching anything more than the barest glimpse of what lies within her.

Giving my head a quick shake to clear my mind from the stupid mistake I had almost committed, I shut my eyes and took a moment to collect myself. Once I was done, I deliberately turned back towards my unexpected visitor and this time I made sure to give the girl next to me a proper look before jumping to any conclusion.

No, not Ilya. Though I could not blame myself for mistaking this girl for her. They did look remarkably alike.

She was a little slip of a girl and were she not wearing the Kuoh academy uniform, I would have easily mistaken her for a Middle schooler. The Snow white hair of her bangs cascade down past her shoulders, while the hair in the back of her head was cut into a short bob cut. She had a pair of black cat-shaped hair clips attached to the side of her head which held her hair in place. Light golden eyes peered out of a childish looking face, which held an expression so empty of emotion it almost made her look like a doll.

Small grains of rice dotted her checks around the sides of her mouth, which gave a general idea on the fate of my missing rice. Well that and the way her eyes never stopped focusing on the remainder of the food in my lunch box was all I needed to confirm my suspicion. So intently was she focused on the food that she ignored everything else around her, even me.

Watching her stare at my food with obvious such longing, despite her expressionless face, brought an amused smile to my face. She looked so much like a kid staring yearningly at sweets through the front window of a candy store, it was adorable.

Shaking my head in bewilderment at the whole situation, I picked up my lunch box all the while noticing with concealed amusement as how her eyes tracked it. I paused halfway through my intended action as an amusing, and very Serafall, idea hit me. It was a little cruel but now that I got the idea in my head I couldn't resist.

Keeping a careful eye on the girl I slowly began lifting my lunch till it reached head level, my head that is, which was a full foot above hers. As expected, her eyes rose to keep track of it, all the while her head remained perfectly still. I then lowered the lunch box down to just under chest level and again her eyes continued to follow it.

I just stared at her, before I felt my lips slowly twist into an _oh so_ _wicked_ grin.

I abruptly shifted the box to left and then right, watching as her eyes quickly jumps to the sides in quick succession as she successfully followed it. After that up, right, left, up again and all the way down.

Soon I was moving my hands so fast that it practically blurred as I moved it sideways, diagonally, forwards, backwards, in a circle, flipped it over then twisted it in the air and whatever else I could think of, before finally bringing it to an abrupt halt right in front of my chest.

And her eyes was still locked onto my lunch box, never once having lost track of it or even shifting her head, despite my best efforts.

I was wrong. She didn't resemble a kid in front of a candy store; she was more like a cat eyeing a fish being dangled in front of her. It was absolutely hilarious.

Having hand my share of fun for the moment, and after one quick look to check on the food and reassure myself that my magic did its job at protecting the contents, I handed over my lunch to her. The slight widening of her eyes was the first sign of emotion I'd seen on her face all day, before she finally tore her eyes away from the lunch box and looked up at me questioningly.

"Take it." Giving her a nod, "You clearly want it more than I do."

Her hand twitched from where they sat on her knees before slowly reaching out to my lunch box, all the while never taking her eyes of me. Just as she was about to reach it her hands paused just inches away from the box, then with a blur of motion, she snatched it out of my hands.

She clutch the lunch box to her chest and scooted a few paces backwards, glaring suspiciously all the while as if I would try to take it back the moment she looked away. If she didn't look so much like a cross between a stray cat and a pouting Ilya, I would have been offended. Did she really think I would try to steal food from a little kid? I mean what did I look like a Devil?

_Oh~ right_.

From her point of view a Devil had just offered her, a little girl, a box of free food while in a secluded area where no one can see or hear us.

Putting it that way, I wouldn't trust me either.

Keeping her eyes still locked on me, she picked up the chopstick that I left in the box, picked up a piece of tempura and took a bite of it. I could tell the exact moment the food hit her taste buds, it was when she stopped all movement and her eyes widened in surprise. For some reason I didn't understand, I could easily picture a pair of cat ears appearing from the top of her and jumping straight up in startlement.

Slowly, almost mechanically, she turned her head to look down at the rest of the food in her lap with an expression of wonder painted on her face, before launching towards it and devouring the food as quickly as she can.

After that, considering the almost of attention she spared me, I might as well not have existed as far as she was considered.

Seeing how much she was enjoying my cooking brought a smile to much face. I may now have Pride in my food, but it was still surpassed by my Pride and joy in people enjoying it. And considering that she now resembled a starving grizzly bear rather than a feline as she wolfed the food down, I can safely assume she likes it.

Even though it was supposed to be my lunch, I really didn't mind. I wasn't that hungry anyway and the kid looked like she could use a bit of meat on her bones, she was way too tiny for her age. Besides I packed an extra-large lunch today, more than I could have finished on my own. There is no way a tiny girl not even half my size could finish it all.

I'm sure there would be enough leftovers for me to snack on.

* * *

><p>By the root of the world and all of its secrets, what the hell was she?<p>

When I first saw her I compared her to Ilya. I was wrong, by the Maou himself I was wrong. This girl was no Ilya, she was a Saber if anything. If I hadn't seen the King of Knights herself putting away more food that three men double her size could I would have sworn that what I was seeing was impossible.

As it was, it still surprised me enough that I was sure if my jaw hung any lower, I would feel the tip of my chin scrap across the concrete floor of the rooftop.

One and a half minutes. In a little under 90 seconds this little sprite of a girl less than a third of my size put away more food than I could have eaten in an hour. And she _still_ looked unsatisfied by the amount, as she continued to dig for bits scraps inside of the now empty lunch.

I knew who she was of course, I learned the name of every Devil in both the school and the entire city, and it didn't take me long to recognize her as I observed her demolish my lunch.

Her name was Toujou Koneko. A former full-blooded Nekomata, possibly the last Nekoshou living in Devil society and currently a Rook to the heir of the Gremory Clan.

I knew all of this, as I was given a file detailing all the essential information I needed to know about the supernatural beings in the city before I arrived, but why did nobody think to inform me about the bloody devourer of worlds that was pretending to be a little girl, I'd never know. Her stomach wasn't even bulging! Where did all the food go?

The clatter of plastic hitting concreate drew me from my thoughts as I realized she had already finished up her search for any scrap of food and had set the now empty lunch box down.

She peered up at me from where she sat, her legs folded beneath her, before she slowly lowered her head in a small bow.

"Thank you for the meal."

I cracked a smile at that, "You very welcome." While I never cared if I was ever thanked, I never did what I do for praise after all, it still felt nice. An old habit from taking care of Ilya kicked in and I reflexively stretched my hand out to pat her head-

_NO!_

-When she jumped back in fright, eyes flashing wide with terrors, her body poised and tensed beneath her as if she was ready to run at a moment noticed.

Though barely noticeable, my eyes were sharp enough to catch the way her body slightly trembled even over her panicked panting breaths.

For a handful of seconds I froze, my mind rushing at the implication of her actions, before I acted quickly and slowly withdrew my hand away from her.

"Ah, sorry about that." I told her with an embarrassed smile as I leaned back and scratched the side of my head. "It's a habit I gotten form my little sister. For the weirdest reason she likes it when I pat her head and gets upset at me if I don't do it often enough. I swear, sometimes I think that girl's part puppy from how she behaves."

The entire time I made sure to talk in calm and collect tone of voice, all the while being careful not to make any sudden movement or get any closer to her than I already was.

I pretended not to notice the way she watched me as she did so, how her eye would track my every movement, the way she would twitch whenever she saw my hand move. I ignored it all and continued talking on as if nothing was wrong. And it worked.

Gradually, her trembling began to subside before stopping completely, her breathing steadily slowed down till they were clam even breathes, and finally her muscles were released from its tense state as ever so slowly she began to relax.

It felt like it like hours has passed while it probably hadn't even been a minute, but eventually she was able to calm down.

Me on the other hand, I was anything but calm. The farthest thing from it actually, despite my outward appearance to the contractually, I was furious. The way she flinched, her almost reflexive panic at my unexpected touch, I recognized them…

…They were signs of physical abuse.

I could feel my fury rage deep inside of my chest, burning so hot that I'm surprised it didn't scorch my skin, at the mere idea of someone harming this little girl. The thought of someone hurting her, she that looked so much like my Ilya, made me see red. I wanted to scream, to yell. I wanted to demand that she tell me who did this to her, so can I go hunt them and hurt them.

But I did no such thing. I knew I would end up doing more harm than good if I did any of those things. Right now I was a complete stranger to this girl, one that she had no reason to trust. Falling into a self-righteous rage will only frighten her away. If I wanted to help, I needed her to trust me or at least feel comfortable around me to lower her guard.

Still the only reason why I didn't immediately drag her away to somewhere safe, consequence be damned, was because it didn't look like she was still being abused. I didn't notice any signs of bruises from what little of her skin I could see, no flinch of pain whenever she moved either. That she felt safe enough that she was even willing to approach a stranger like me, no matter how cautiously, was a good sign as well.

Plus she was a part of that Gremory's Peerage. No matter my personal dislike for the Gremorys, I knew that they were the least likely family in the entire Underworld to ever abuse their servants, let alone one as young as her. So at least I knew she was safe with them.

Still, safe or not there is no way I'm letting this go. The first chance I get, I was going looked into Toujou Koneko's past. And if those that did this were still out there…

But that was later, for now the best thing I can do for her was pretend nothing happened. No one liked to be reminded of their scars after all, emotional or physical ones, and they like being pitied even less.

"So," I said when the atmosphere finally began to approach normal again, "did you want anything from me? Other than my lunch of course." I added with a smile.

It was unlikely that we ended up meeting by chance. This was a fairly secluded place and away from the more popular lunch spots, which was the reason why I ended up choosing it.

Her nod confirmed my suspicions, "Buchou wanted to speak to you."

'Buchou'? I tilted my head in confusion. Who was that? The way she said it was familiar however. Almost reminded me how Sona's peerage kept referring to her as Kaichou – Oh!

"You mean Rias Gremory?" I asked.

She nodded again. Seems like my guess was right but still, what's with the weird titles those two insist on being called by. Is it a Devil heir thing I'm not aware about?

…Or maybe by choosing their own titles, they get to avoid someone giving them one instead. If so I wish someone told about it early, I would have avoided this whole of 'Queen of Sword' fiasco.

"Sure, I got nothing important planned for the day. When does Gremory wants to meet me?"

"Right awa-" the ringing of the school bells cut her off before she could complete her sentence.

Huh, looks like we've been here longer than either of us thought. The again, I doubted she planned to take a lunch break when she went looking for me.

"Looks like we need to get going if we want to get back to class in time." I stood up and dusted off my pants. "How about I meet up with this Buchou of yours after school instead?"

She thought about it for a moment before nodding in agreement as she rose as well. We both began to make our way down the stairwell and when we reached the first landing I stopped and turned to face her.

"Great, send someone to pick me after classes are done. I'll be waiting in my homeroom." I told her with a wave goodbye as she continued down to floor first floor that was designated to freshmen while I reminded on the third floor that was reserved for the seniors.

Once she was no longer in sight I turned around and began to make my way back to the classroom. The smile that I was carrying slipped off my face now that she could no longer see me.

Really, even when I'm not looking for trouble it seems to find me. Oh well, it could have been worse. I would much rather find out about these things rather than allow them to happen around me while I carried on with my life oblivious to it all. This was my only path after all.

Still, as I made my way back to class I could not help but think back to the small glimpse I caught of the girl's spirit. I could not help but wonder.

What could have possible happened to make a girl as young as her willingly build a wall around her soul?

* * *

><p>I sensed the Bounded Field as soon as I crossed it. It was a simple one, made to keep normal people from wandering in. It wouldn't do anything to stop anyone with even a lick of supernatural power but I guess it doesn't need to do its job. Still, it's a waste to go through all the effort of setting up a Bounded Field and not equipped with some at least some basic defensive measures. As far as I can sense the thing didn't even act as a warning system.<p>

Devil and Magus Bounded Fields had a lot in common when it came to the end result, at least the basic versions of them did, but the process of how they functioned were completely different.

For one, the Bounded Fields created by Magecraft was far more intricate than their Devil counterpart. Even the simplest of those Bounded Fields is as complicated as an advanced calculus formula, and that's when it's only function is to act as a warning system. For the ones that actually do something truly impressive, such as the one used to hide the Einzbern Castle from the rest of the world, is so far beyond my comprehension that I cannot even begin to describe the basics of its construction. Rin probably could but, well, she's Rin. Enough said.

Devil Bounded Fields however are a completely different matter. They are so simple that Pure-Blooded Devils are taught how to begin constructing basic ones at the age of twelve. There were actual classes at the Devil Middles School in the underworld that teach them and are considered to be only an intermediate level magic.

The difference between the two is understandable when you take account that Devils can bend magic to their will. For Magus they needed to use a complex system sigils and equations to construct a Bounded Field. Devils on the other hand only needed a single magic circle carved into the center of the place they wanted to build the Field. The Magic circle used is one designed to help the user form a Bounded Field. It works by reading the 'intent' of magic that flows through it and creates a field based on the spell casters desires. Through this method a single properly trained Devil can set up a rudimentary Bounded Field in less than an hour. Most teenage Devils are more than capable of doing this.

Designing an original magical circle to help in the construction of a Bounded Field is an incredibly difficult thing to do. That is why Devils tend to simply copy these circles from a premade stock designs rather than make one of their own. Theses magic circles designs are publicly sold and can be found in magical book stores in the underworld, although the ones sold tend to be copies of widely used ones.

…Yes there are magic bookstores in the underworld, I was surprised too.

Most Pureblooded Devil Clans use personally designed magical circles when constructing their Bounded Fields, just like how they have their own personal summoning circles. It often acts like a calling card, allowing Devils to recognize the owner of the Bounded Fields. All territories owned by the large clans have a simple Bounded Filed traced over their borders to allow other Devil to know whose land they were entering.

That is why I can instantly tell this was a Gremory owned bounded field. When Serafall made me her Queen she gave me a crash course of all the essential things I needed to know. That included the ability to recognize all the different magical signatures of the 72 Pillars, and this one has Gremory written all over it.

Of course, the more sophisticated bounded fields, like the ones used in the Rating Games are a complete different matter. Those are so difficult to make that there are actually Devils who dedicated their lives to mastering that form of magic and they charge a premium for anyone who wanted to make use their skills.

The only downside for the Devils method of creating Bounded fields is the amount of magic needed to setup and maintain them, which is far larger than its magus counterpart. Take the one I just crossed as I was making my way through the small forest that claimed what would have been the backyard of Kuoh Academy.

It was at least a few dozen yards long when measured from the radius, making it only slightly larger than the one that was set up around my old home in Fuyuki City. If this one was made in a similar manner to the one Kiritsugu set up, then it will sustain itself indefinitely requiring only the ambient Mana in the air to sustain itself and only the occasional upkeep to maintain its condition.

This Bounded Field was a Devil based and will require several times more power to function. It cannot sustain itself on the Mana in the air and will instead need to be fueled by Devils instead. I'm no expert at it, but I'm guessing that the amount of Mana needed to fuel this field for a week would be more than an average Magus back home could produce in an entire day and that was for a basic Bounded Field. The average Devil can easily produce dozens of times more Mana than the average magus, so that is not a really problem for them.

"Sorry about the long walk, Buchou took a real liking the old school building and insisted on basing our club room there. Something about the old-fashioned feel of the place. Personally I just liked the place simply because it's far away from everything else. It's private, something that's a little hard for me to find at school."

Looking at the boy next to me I could totally understand where he was coming from. I have only been her for a day and I had already seen how badly the girls hounded him.

Kiba Yuuto was a blond haired teenaged boy with a pair of unusual steel-grey eyes. He was tall for his age, just a couple of inches shorter than me, with a slim but muscular build. Even if I hadn't read his file I would have realized he was a Knight right away. The way he walked, how he easily maintained his balance even on the uneven ground of the forest floor, the calluses that formed in the palm of his hand, all hinted in someone that was trained in the art of the sword.

He was also what would was known as a 'pretty boy'. Really, he had a face that could put most models to shame. His skin looked paler and softer than most girls and his hair was such a rich shade of yellow it glittered like gold in the sun light. Hell, the kid even had a beauty mark under his left eye. Known as the 'Prince' of Kuoh Academy, he was greatly adored by the female half of the student population and equally despised by the male half.

Me, I just felt sorry for the guy. While he tried to hide it, I could easily tell how much he hated being relentlessly pursued by the girls all day yet being denied the company of his fellow males. Poor kid, as far as I can tell the guy didn't even have a single male friend. Hell, outside of his Peerage he didn't appear to even have a friend, period.

Yet, just like Koneko he didn't allow any of it to show in his face. He just dealt with everything life threw at him with a smile on his face.

…Really, why do I keep running into these kinds of people today?

"Don't worry about it. I needed a chance to stretch my legs anyway. It's been so long since I've been back inside a classroom I'd forgotten how much sitting it involved." I told him as we made our away around a fallen tree that partially blocked the road.

"So you've been away to school for a while?" He was walking a couple of paces a head of me and a little bit off to the side as he led the way, so he had to look over his shoulder if he wanted to face me as he spoke.

"For about a year now. I had so much stuff to learn since my resurrection that I simply didn't have the time to go and before that, well…" I shrugged, "I had some personal issue to deal with."

"I see." Clearly understanding that I didn't want to talk about it, he changed the subject, "Well, were almost to there. We just have to get around that tree over there and the old school building will be in sight."

Just as he said, the moment we passed the tree, I caught sight of our destination.

It was a beautiful old wooden building with a western feel to its design. Two-floors high, with a small clock tower rising from the middle of the roof over the entrance, it was huge. Easily big enough to hold a hundred people with room to spare. Three large windows lined the wall on either side of great door that served as its entrance, with more windows on the upper floor. Despite its age it's clear that the place has been kept well maintained as the wall had a fresh coat of paint and the roof was properly tiled despite the constant rain that plagued this area.

When I first heard that the Occult Research Club room was located in the old abandon school building, I admit I expected to see an old broken down wooden building that was one step away from being condemned. I mean it was an Occult club, filled with actual Devils, it's only naturally the place would have been creepy as hell.

I should have known better than to expect Devils to live in anything less than opulence. I gotta admit though, I'm kind a disappointed. I was really hoping for some kind of haunted mansion.

As we made our way to the entrance, I decided now would be a good a time as any to broach the subject, as I doubted I'll get another chance to speak to him alone after we reached the club room.

"So…how are dealing with the _Trait_?"

He actually stopped in his tracks at my words, one foot hanging in the air half way through his step, while he gapped at me in surprise. Now that I think about it, this was the first time I saw him without that pasted on smile of his.

It only took a moment for him to regain his composer before he carried on walking.

"So you noticed?" Even with his smile back in place, it was clear how uncomfortable the topic was making him feel.

I just gave him a shrug in return, "It's kind of hard _not_ to notice with how those girls keep following you around like little ducklings."

"I, I didn't...I mean, I don't…ahh," Poor kid kept fumbling over his words in his panic.

Feeling kind of bad that I reduced him into such a state, I decided to throw him a bone. "I know." I told him firmly.

"You do?" he actually seemed surprised by that.

"Anyone can tell that you hate being chased by those girls. It doesn't take a genius to tell that there is no way you're going to abuse that Trait of yours. It wouldn't even surprise me if you wanted to get rid of it if you could."

His relief was almost palpable. I couldn't honestly blame him, if our situations were reversed I would have been worried what other people may think of me too.

Poor bastard, I mean what are the odds that he ended up with a Devil's Trait.

Worse, he ended up with the Charm variety. It causes any girl that even glances at his face to become instantly infatuated, even if they were already in a relationship. No wonder all of the guys hated him, they probably thought he was actively trying to steal their girlfriends.

Thankfully Traits only seemed to affect humans, so none of the girls in his Peerage should have any problems with it. The only upside of the situation is that the Trait ended up manifesting in someone like Kiba. I shudder to think about what would have happened if it ended up in the hands of a more unscrupulous Devil.

The slight squeaking of hinges made me realize that we reached the front entrance and that Kiba had already open the doors and was motioning me through.

Again I felt the telltale signs of a Bounded Field wash over me as I stepped through the entrance. These however were much better than the ones that circled the forest; they actually had some defensive capabilities. It acted as a simple warning system that will allow anyone tied into the Field to know whenever someone enters its range, and it also prevents anyone not recognized as part of the Gremory Clan from teleporting in.

It wasn't much but it was better than anything I had expected. For a second there I was worried that neither Sona nor the Gremory had put up any defensive measures what so ever. I knew that Sona's home was well protected but she neglected to do the same for the school.

I planned to talk to them about it and see if I can convince them to set up a few more defenses. If that doesn't work I could always follow Serafall's advice and start pranking them until they start setting up strong enough wards to protect themselves from me.

According to her that how she trained Sona on how to ward her room properly. Apparently it only took stealing Sona's diary three times and reading it out loud during dinar for her to throw herself into studying every warding type of Bounded Fields she could get her hands on to find a way to keep her sister out of her stuff.

In a little over a week she had her room warded up so well that no Middle-class Devil could break into it without her permission. It wasn't enough to stop Serafall of course, if she really wanted to it wouldn't even slow her down, but that was never the point.

"Have you considered simply using some form of compulsion spell to keep the girls away?" I asked, more for something to talk about as we made our way through the building rather than genuine curiosity.

He shook his head as we started to climb up the stairs. "I've never been good with mind magic, I always felt uncomfortable using it except to prevent knowledge about the supernatural from spreading. Besides Buchou would hate it if the girls suddenly started ignoring me. She has some kind of competition going on with Sona on who has the most popular Peerage."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "They'd compete over something like that?"

"You'd be surprised. According to Akeno they used to compete over everything as children. Now that I think about it they still do." He halted before a large wooden double door. "We're here."

He stretched out a hand towards the door knob but seemed to hesitate for a second before he turned and faced me.

"About Buchou, I'd like to apologies if she acts inappropriate." He seemed to feel really awkward about the topic, "It's just that with you and her brother…"

Ah, so that what it's about. "Don't worry, I understand," I assured him, "If I was her I would probably be a little bit hostile as well."

He flashed me a thankful smile at that before turning back towards the doors again and swinging it wide open.

"Buchou," he called out as we walked in, "I'm back and I brought Emiya-san with me."

The interior of what I presumed to be the Occult Research Club's primary club room was completely different from the rest of the old school's design.

It had rich wooden-paneled walls that would have gleamed in the light if the room hadn't been so poorly lit. As far as I can tell the place had no functional lights and the only source of illumination came from the lit candles that were scatter across the room. Victorian style coaches and chairs were arranged into on the left side of the room while the right side was cleared of furniture to make room for the large magic circle that was carved into the floor. On one side of the wall across the room from me was covered by a thin silk sheet that concealed a-

-_Is that a SHOWER?_

_ "_Holy shit, Sona was wrong. You're not a nudist, you're a bloody exhibitionist." I blurted out the words before I even realized what I was doing, as I found myself pointing an accusing finger towards the silhouette of the figure that I could see through the curtain of the still running shower.

"WHAT!" The figure, who I presumed to be Rias, squawked. "What has been Sona telling you? And I'm not an exhibitionist, I just like taking showers."

"Oh don't you dare lie to me, you little pervert." I retorted. "I sensed the Bounded Field that covered the entire building the moment I crossed it. There is no way you didn't know I wasn't coming and you had more than enough time to get out of the shower before I got here. Which means you wanted me to catch you showering!

"By the madness of Zelretch himself, what the hell is wrong is with you Devils? You have a Maou that's a Magic Girl cosplayer, another one that apparently a nudist and now I find his little sister is an exhibitionist. Is every Devil out there a pervert or just the ones that I run into?"

"What –no – I – Argh" she finally just yelled out in frustration, "Just-just wait right there. I'm coming out." I heard a small metal squeak before the sound of the shower tapered off.

While I waited for her to appear I looked around the room and immediately spotted Koneko lounging on one of the couches with her usual blank face in place. I just gave her a deadpanned look and said, "What, don't tell me you're a pervert too?"

I considered it my win when her face flushed and she gave me an angry scowl in response to my comment. Good, children her age shouldn't have such a blank face. Kids should laugh when their happy, yell when their angry and cry when their sad. They shouldn't just sit there expressionless all the time no matter what their feeling. It's just plain wrong.

"Now, now," a voice called out as the final occupant of the room made her presence known, "don't be mean to our little Koneko."

A figure stepped out from where she was standing in one of the corners of the room, one I didn't notice before as she was hidden by the shadows and gloom of the place.

She was a young and rather tall girl, with a shapely figure and long dark cascading hair that she had tied up in a ponytail. Out of all the Devils in the Peerage I've met so far, she was the only one who could have passed as Japanese at first glance. Her violet eyes seemed to sparkle with barely concealed amusement, something that reminded me a little too much of Serafall. The teasing smile she had on her face and her following words didn't do anything to dissuade me of that impression.

This must be Himejima Akeno, the Gremory's Queen.

"Besides, she may not be a pervert but I certainly am." The way her smile turned predatory told me that she wasn't kidding.

…I have no idea what to say to that.

Fortunately I didn't have to because at that very moment the shower curtain was pushed open to reveal another young girl.

The unmistakable crimson of her hair marked her as Gremory. It fell down her back and ended just past her waist and though she had just stepped out of the shower there wasn't even a hint of moister on them. Like Akeno she had a full-figured body but with pale skin and blue eyes that were the exact same shade as Sirzechs. Even without the red hair I would have no trouble believing that they were siblings.

If I had been a normal person I would probably have found her beautiful. If I hadn't been exposed to the supernatural appearance of the female Servants I may have been captivated by her sight. As it stands however I have been exposed to them. I have seen Saber's elegance and grace, Rider's unhuman beauty that was envied even by the very gods and had even caught a small glimpse of Caster's delicate elfin face when she lowered her hood moments before her death.

Compared to them her beautify simple paled in comparison. She was still attractive but only humanly so. So instead of being captivated by her beauty that many had warned me that I most likely would, all I could feel instead was a mild sense of disappointment.

I must confess I was expecting….more.

When I first heard of Sirzechs's sister, I had expected a younger female version of him. I had built up an image in my head of a young girl that would one day become her brother's equal and what I see before simply fell short.

Sirzechs was, simply put, a monster. There is no other way to describe him. Even compared to the Heroic Spirts of the Holy Grail, he would have still been no less of a monster. For all of my distaste of him, even I can't deny his strength. Just standing in his presence had caused my newly discovered Devil ability to sense magic to quickly become overwhelmed.

When I first fought him I thought I had a chance of winning. I thought that when he had made the mistake of allowing me the opportunity to summon my Reality Marble I could win despite the large gulf in raw power. At one point, near the end, I even had him on the ropes. But then he revealed his true form and I was crushed. I didn't even last for two full seconds before he overwhelmed me with nothing but pure power.

Sirzechs was a monster and Rias….simply wasn't.

Really, _this _was Sirzechs's sister?

She was literally a little girl compared to him. A part of me told me I was being unfair, that Sona herself was around the same level as her but I didn't try to compare her to Serafall. Another part of me countered that Sona at least was a genius…beside I liked Sona, I couldn't say the same for Gremorys.

"You must be Emiya Shirou," Rias Gremory said as her approached me. Halting a couple of paces away, she crossed her arms bellow her breast causing them to jump upwards, while she took a moment to look me over. "While we didn't have a chance to be properly introduced before, this is not the first time we had seen each other. I was member of the audience when you fought my brother."

Now, normally I was never the kind of guy that would stare at a lady's breasts but I was having trouble keeping my eyes off Rias's. Not because I wanted to look at them but because they were so freaking _big_. I mean maybe it's the way she keeps pushing them up when she crossed her arms, but they looked huge and I mean like beach balls big-

"-OK stop, just stop," I interrupted whatever she was saying when I couldn't take it anymore, I wasn't listening anyway. I pointed towards those overinflated water balloons that she calls breasts. "There is no was those things are real right? I mean they just got to be fake. "

"What!?" her face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and indignation. "My breast are natural! Take it back."

"Nice try missy." I shook a finger at her. "I may be a new Devil but even I know that we can shape shift. You probably used your powers to make them bigger, didn't you? There is no way those things are natural. I mean look at them, they look like you stuffed watermelons in your bra."

Her face turned a shade of red so deep that it matched her hair. Off to the side, I noticed how Akeno was leaning over with her arms wrapped around her stomach in her effort to contain her laughter. Rias just continued to glare at me, too angry to trust herself to speak, before her face underwent a transformation as she just shot me a superior smirk.

"Whatever you say…Queenie." I bolted upright when I heard that accursed nickname – Oh yeah, this bitch was Sirzechs's sister alright. Only that bastard would ever call me that.

"Ok children, that's enough." Akeno clapped her hands twice and walked in between us. "As much as I enjoy watching you two squabble, I believe you had something important you wanted to talk to Emiya-san about."

Rias, whether at her Queen's words or her ability to get in the parting shot in, nodded her head in acceptance. She took a moment to compose herself before she waved a hand towards one of the empty chairs. "That right, Emiya if you would please have a seat I'll get to the point of the meeting."

Seeing her trying to pretend out little spat didn't happen, I decided to do the same. I walked to the chair she indicated and sat down while Rias and Akeno walked around the coffee table and occupied the sofa across from me.

Rias cleared her throat for a moment before she began to speak. "I'm not sure if you have noticed, seeing as you just have recently arrived, but there is currently a Fallen Angel on campus."

"And you want me to deal with them?" My voice sounding incredulous even to my own ears. I'm honestly surprised, I never thought she would be willing to allow me to get involved in anyway. I was sure she would have reacted to my presence like Sona did, if not worse, and would want me to stay out of her way, not help her out.

Well, this was good news at least. It will make it easier for me to prepare them if I can work alongside them.

"No, quite the opposite actually." She said, instantly dashing any hope I had of making my job easier. "I want you to stay away from her."

Now this caught me by surprise. "Because you want to deal with her yourself?" Well, that was understandable. This was her territory and for a Fallen to wander into what was the heart of it was nothing short of insult.

While there was no official agreement to the cease fire between the Three Factions, there was an unwritten rule that basically stated that any member caught in territory of an opposing faction are free game and can be dealt with however the owner of the territory wished. That the Fallen would enter at all meant they were either confident that they wouldn't get caught or believed that the owners were too weak to do anything to stop them.

I also wasn't worried about the Fallen being something that they couldn't handle. The guards that patrolled the city's borders would prevent any dangerous strays from entering and would have informed me if any powerful Angels, Fallen or otherwise, were seen entering the city. Though that was also unlikely to happen.

The other two members of the Three Factions are no doubt aware that the sisters of the Maous are in this city and are simply not willing to send anything that may threaten them. Not only would it send the wrong message, but there is always the small chance of a scuffle breaking out. They didn't want to risk sending anyone that may actually have a chance of killing one of them and kick-starting another war.

There is a reason why nothing higher than two-winged Fallen exist within the borders of the city. Their job isn't to fight anyone here, just to keep an eye on things and report back if anything unusual happens.

"No, I do not want that fallen to be harmed in any way. In fact I don't even want her to know that we are aware of presence." Rias smirked, "It seems like the little crow tried to sneak in and believes she had gotten away with it."

"Ok, now you lost me." I told them frankly, "Why aren't you doing anything about her and why bother telling me about it?

"The reason why we're informing you about the situation is because we know that the moment you catch so much a whiff of what was going on you'll try to involve yourself if we don't stop you." It was Akeno that answered me this time. "I'm not sure if you're aware of it but despite only recently becoming a Devil you've begun to build quite a reputation for yourself in the underworld. You're renowned as a busy body, sticking your nose into everything and helping out anyone in trouble no matter what kind of mess it will drag you in."

What!? I didn't know that. It wasn't even my fault that I kept finding trouble…or at least not completely.

I mean it's not like I meant to walk into the middle of a Cthulhu Ritual where a bunch of Devils were trying to sacrifice a group of kidnapped children from the Extra family. I was just looking for the bathroom. And after I saw that I couldn't just walk away now could I?

Serafall did warn me about how my luck will change as Devil, I just didn't think she was being serious. When I told her what happened she just congratulated me on my first accident Cthulhu ritual discovery. Apparently it happens often enough that the Maous consider it a rite of passage into becoming a true Ultimate-Class rank. It apparently happened to Serafall three times before while for Sirzechs it was five.

I'm not sure whether I should be more worried about the fact that Cthulhu rituals actually exist in this universe or that it apparently happens often enough that people apparently keep stumbling all over it when their looking for a bathroom.

"Ok, I could see why you'd be worried about that. But I still don't understand why you're allowing a Fallen to roam unopposed right in the middle of your territory."

Instead of answering, Akeno picked up a folder from underneath the table. She opened it and began flipping through the pages before finding the one she wanted. She took out a single sheet of paper and placed it on the table before sliding it over to me.

"Hyoudou Issei," Rias began to speak as I looked over the paper before me. It contained the basic information and a picture of the boy in question. "a sixteen year old boy who's currently enrolled Kuoh Academy. A mediocre student at best, who only just barely made the cutoff point for the entrance exam last year and that was only due to the Academy lowering its standards for male students in an effort to bolster its male population after having recently turned co-ed from an all-girls school.

"While athletically he's average for a student who's not a member of a sports club, without any history of seriously injury or illness. Despite his lack of ability he is renowned across Kuoh Academy as a member of the Perverted Trio, a group of boys who continually attempt to peek on the female population of the school whenever they can."

"Perverts." A voice to my left interjected. I turned to find Koneko sitting on a sofa that she was sharing with Kiba. There was a plate of _Yokan_, a traditional type of Japanese sweet, before her. Having said her part, she now turned back towards her interrupted meal.

"Now, now, Koneko, you make it sound like that's a bad thing." Akeno covered the smile that was beginning to form behind her hand, "I'll have you know that being a little Perverted can be a good thing. Especially when there is someone there to…discipline you."

Koneko just stared at her for five full seconds saying nothing before deadpanning. "Pervert." Which just caused Akeno to laugh.

"Other than that Issei should have been nothing more than an ordinary if troublesome student." Rias continued after Akeno stopped her laughter. "That was at least until sometime last year, when we were able to discover he had a Sacred Gear. Honestly it was pure luck that we found out about it, the boy's magical presence was so small that he was almost invisible. It was only because Akeno happened to bumped into him when he was being chased by the Kendo club that she was able to notice it."

"While that was enough to catch my interest, I wasn't willing to risk an Evil Piece over him until I had identified what kind of Sacred Gear he possessed. With the abysmal amount of Mana he had in him, it would have had to be a powerful Sacred Gear to make him a worthwhile investment. But unfortunately the very same lack of magical presence that caused us not to notice his him for so long was preventing us from properly identifying the Sacred Gear.

"Honestly, it ended up becoming so troublesome that we decided to simply sit on the matter and hoped the Issei's natural Magical supply would develop in time as he continued to grow and physically mature."

"And that ended up blowing up in our faces" Akeno added.

Rias just nodded in agreement while massaging her forehead, "That boy has the most abysmal magic reserves I have ever heard of. I have seen new born toddler with more magic than him, _human _toddlers. Even after almost a full year of waiting the amount of Mana within him didn't seem to increase at all, or at least not enough for either me or Akeno to notice. The only upside is that at least I now know not to turn him into a bishop."

"So what changed?" I questioned. "If you still failed to identify his Sacred Gears then why has he suddenly become important?"

"His scent," Rias said with a victorious smile, "While we couldn't identify his Sacred Gear through magic, we got lucky again and discovered that he's Sacred Gear was producing a distinctly unique scent."

"It was all thank to Koneko here." Kiba speaking for the first time since we entered the club room. "After she enrolled as a freshman, she began to notice the scent of a supernatural creature on school grounds that didn't belong to any of the Devils here or their familiars. She traced the scent and found that it leads to Issei."

"What kind of scent are we talking about?" I asked, wondering what the big deal is.

"A Dragon," Rias answer and though she tried to hide it, there was a tone of reverence and wonder in her voice, "Hyoudou Issei has the scent of a Dragon."

Oh! Well that changes everything.

In my world, Dragons were the pinnacle of all Phantasm Species, the strongest among the strong. Even the weakest of known Dragons had the power to potentially destroy countries. They were literal extensions of the world that was given intelligence and physical form.

They were capable of generating Prana simply by breathing, allowing them to wield an almost unmatched amount of magical energy. I was once told that Saber had some Dragon blood within her and it allowed her to generate so much Prana, that if you compare a Magus's body to a machine that could create magical energy, then her body would be a factory that could magical energy. That was how much of a difference introducing Dragon blood to a human can make.

In this world, I had discovered, Dragons were pretty much the same. Except where in my world the strongest Dragon could bring ruin to the entire world at most, the Dragons here are capable of ruling entire dimensions.

There is a reason why the two most powerful beings in this universe are Dragons. Hyoudou Issei having a Dragon based Scared Gear had just skyrocketed his importance from 'normal human' to 'potentially dangerous' in the eyes of the world .

"That's not even the best part." Rias Gremory seemed to almost vibrate with excitement. "There is only two known Dragon-based Sacred Gears that are powerful enough to give off such a scent when still in their dormant state."

"The Two Heavenly Dragons." I answered for which she nodded in agreement. "And this generation's White Dragon Emperor has been found and recruited by the Fallen Angle Faction, which means that Issei has-"

"Ddraig, the Red Dragon Emperor." She finished the sentence for me. "That's right, Hyoudou Issei, is this generation's Red Dragon Emperor and the wielder of the Boosted Gear."

"I see." At least now it's making a bit more sense why she went through the trouble of protecting Issei from being expelled. He had a Longinus within him after all. Still, "As interesting as this all is, what does it have anything to do with the Fallen? And considering your enthusiasm to the idea, why haven't you attempted to recruit Issei yet?"

"The answers to both of those questions are actually closely linked." Resting her elbows on her knees, Rias leaned forward while steepling her hands. "Have you ever heard of the Valantime incident?

I shut my eyes as I finally had an idea of what she was trying to imply, and I had a feeling that I really won't like where this was going, "I see."

Valantime was the name of a city in the underworld. It was once a fairly prosperous place despite being one of the smaller cities in the region. It owed its good fortune to being one of the only places that can bridge the underworld to the human world. It had a population of a little under one million but it was expected to surpass that number soon as new people continued to move into the city. It had earned the nicknamed 'The Desert Flower' for it was a city that bloomed in the harsh dry region it called home.

But that over ninety years ago. Today Valantime is completely different place.

Today, that city is a waste land.

Exactly 92 years ago, the City of Valantime was brought to ruin by the rampaging the wielder of the Sacred Gear Divine Dividing, The White Dragon Emperor. The exact details leading up to the incident was never discovered, however what is known is that a Devil, the sole living member of the Gamigin, was able to discover and recruit a human that was the wielder of the Divine Dividing into his Peerage.

Not much was known about the human in question, or at least nothing of any real importance. But what was known was that after being reincarnated he was identified as bearing the Sin of Pride. This came as a surprise to no one. After all, Dragons have always been the most prideful of beings.

The details were lost, but it appeared that an argument broke out between Gamigin and the wielder of the Divine Dividing. When Gamigin lost his patience and tried to force the wielder to submit using his status as his master as leverage, well that was when everything began to go to hell.

A Dragon's Pride will never allow them to willingly bend their knee to anyone, not even other Dragons. That was something Gamigin soon discovered when the wielder attacked him. The fight soon began to grow as the rest of the Peerage jumped and tried to pull the wielder of their master. In response, the wielder activated his Balance Breaker and soon what began as small fight between Peerage members escalated to an almost city wide fight as more and more Devils were brought him in order to subdue him.

It reached the point where one of the Maous was summoned to stop him, and that was when the real disaster struck. The wielder already beginning to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies, panicked when he caught sight of the approaching Maou. Feeling trapped and cornered he became desperate and did what was perhaps the most stupidest thing he possibly could have.

He activated Juggernaut Drive.

And that was that. His rampaged could no longer be stopped, not even by the Maou. Not without destroying everything else in the area along with him. All they could do evacuate as many people as they could from the city. For two full hours the White Dragon Emperor raged and in his rage he brought calamity onto the city. For two full hours all in the vicinity could hear his madden howls of hatred and anguish. When at last he stopped, the wielder was found dead in the middle of what once was a city, the force of his power draining him of his life.

It took weeks before they were able to accurately tally the total losses of the disaster. They found that over the course of a single night over two-hundred thousand Devils were killed, the equivalent of billions of dollars worth of property was lost, the bridge between the Human and underworld was irreparably damaged, and the last surviving member of the Gamigin clan, one of the 72 pillars had perished.

Not since the fight between the Two Heavenly Dragons during the Great War had the Devils suffused such a loss by single being. The Devils had forgotten the might of the Dragons. They had forgotten why they should be feared.

Albion reminded them.

The Underworld learned to fear the wrath of a Dragon that day.

"I have a really bad feeling I'm really not going to like where this is going." I muttered.

"I'm sure that you are aware that Dragon based Sacred Gears Wielder are notoriously hard to recruit and even harder to control." Rias, having either not heard my words or simply deciding to ignore them, continued, "What makes them more dangerous than any other type of Sacred Gear Wielders is the amount of damage they can do when they lose control of themselves. This is especially true when concerning the Two Heavenly Dragons, as Albion had shown us. So before I can even consider recruiting him, I need a way to insure his loyalty."

"Fortunately, unlike the case with the Divine Dividing wielder, Issei's Sin will clearly be Lust. This will not only make him far easier to manage but make him far more recipient to becoming a Devil considering our lifestyle." Here Rias paused a moment, taking a moment to collect herself before forging on, "However that will not be enough to secure his loyalty. We cannot allow another incident like Valantime to happen again. I cannot allow such a thing to happen under my watch. I needed another reason for him to become willingly loyal to me.

"For a while I was stumped, I couldn't thing of a single solution to the problem other than catering to his Lust, and that simply wasn't going to be enough. But then," She reached over to the folder that Akeno had placed on the table, pulled out a photo and slid it over to me, "the answer fell right into my lap."

In front of me was a picture of a young Japanese girl. She had long silky black hair with an innocent almost childlike face and dark violet eyes.

"Her name, or at least the name she's currently calling herself by, is Amano Yuma. Her real name is unknown to us but what we do know is that she is the Fallen Angel we sensed on campus and is currently posing as an ordinary school girl. Normally we would have eliminated her by now but when we began to track her we were able to discover the purpose of her appearance here."

I'm starting to connect the dots and I didn't like the picture that was beginning to appear. "Let me guess, she was here for Issei right?"

Rias gave me a firm nod at that, "At first we feared that she was here to try to recruit him into the Fallen Angle Faction like they did with Vali. However it quickly became clear that wasn't the case. Issei's current human body would have made him too weak for him to be of any real use, Boosted Gear or no Boosted Gear. There was also the matter of Albion and Ddraig being sworn enemies and same side or not they'll try to rip each other apart the moment they set eyes on one another.

"But the thing that finally convinced us of her intentions was Koneko. When she was tracking her she was able to sense _Yuma's_ emotions."

Koneko didn't even bother to look up from her half-finished plate of sweets as she spoke, "Blood lust."

"So we have finally come to the conclusion that she's here to prevent us from recruiting him ourselves. That she went as far as to pose as his girlfriend just makes her goal more obvious. We discovered that she plans on taking him on a 'date' this evening all the way on the other side of town, a place that's as far as you can get from the heart of Devil territory while still remaining in the city limits. We think she choose that spot because it bears the least likely chance of Devils interfering."

"So do you plan to do?" Despite my question, a part of me was dreading that I already knew the answer. "Are you going to approach Issei now or interfere with the date itself?"

"'…No," Rias leaned back in her seat with her eyes shut for a moment and took a deep breath. The she opened her eye, which were now hard with resolve, and stared back at me unflinchingly as she spoke,

We're going to let her kill him

I felt my heart go cold at her words.

For a moment I was sure that I mishear her, that there was no way that they were going to just sit back and watch a boy die. But all I had to look at her cold determined eyes, the same eyes that her brother wore when we fought, and I understood that this was no joke, no mistake.

Comprehension hit me with all the subtlety of a speeding truck and I realized that they were serious, that these bunch of high school students were gonna let the boy get killed in front of their eyes.

For his credit at least, Kiba looked clearly uncomfortable with the entire situation. Koneko wore no expression at all on her face but the way she studiously ignored everything around her as she stared blankly ahead was as clear a sign of her feelings as anything. Akeno however just wore that same small smile of hers, the one she had the entire I was here so I had absolutely no idea what she was thinking.

The Gremory however just looked determined.

"I can't let you do that."

I didn't even realize I was speaking until I had finished, but I didn't regret what I said.

"You don't have a choice," Rias countered coolly, "I know for a fact that you were ordered by your King not to interfere. And I already requested approval of the plan from brother, which he gave along with the blessings of the Elder Council. No one is willing to invite another Heavenly Dragon into Devil Society again without taking every precaution, not after Valantime.

"So you see Emiya Shirou, there is quite frankly nothing you can do about it."

I said nothing, unwilling to move or say a thing. Not trusting myself not to lash out, with either words or swords I did not know.

When, after a long long while, I had finally begun to gain some resemblance of control over myself I asked, "Why?" although the word came out garbled from how I had to choke it out of my constructed throat.

Fortunately I didn't need to repeat myself as the Gremory seemed to have understood what I was trying to say.

"Because it needed to be done," The Gremory leaned back on her seat but she never removed her eyes from mine, "this isn't some ordinary human Emiya, this a Longinus wielder, people born with the potential to kill gods inside them. The last time the Underworld had one, he brought ruin and desolation to an entire city, ending thousands of lives in the blink of an eye. If the cost of preventing something like that happening again is a single human life, then it's a price I'm more than willing to pay."

"Besides," this time she leaned forward, "I think you're misunderstanding something. It's not like I'm going to let him stay dead, I do plan on resurrecting him. Not to mention that I will have nothing to with his death. I have no intention of lifting so much as a finger to harm even a hair on his head, let alone try to kill him."

"You may not be the one to do the deed but you're not planning on doing anything to stop it either. I thought you Gremorys are supposed to treat you Peerage like family and yet this is what you intend to do to Issei? Someone who you plan on making a part of your Peerage?"

For the first time in this conversation the Gremory's eye turned cold, not determined or hard but truly cold. "For my Peerage I'll do anything. Give anything. My life, my happiness and even my everything is not too high a price to pay for their safety or happiness."

There was a brand of madness unique to Devils, a type of insanity born from their Sin. It rules them in a way human minds simply cannot comprehend. And the Gremory's cold eyes now shone with that very madness, of the intensity of her Greed for her Peerage possessing her soul.

When she said her everything, she was not lying.

"Issei however is not a member of my Peerage, not yet. He will be but until then he's just an ordinary human to me, no different than any other stranger in this city."

For a long while after that, silence ruled the room, as no one had anything else to say.

I simply sat back in my chair and watched her. Just watched her as I tried to understand the person before. It didn't take me long to put the pieces together and start figuring her out.

The sad thing is, despite all the things she's about to do, she not evil. No, not evil, just selfish. Which might just be something even worse.

She said that she was willing to pay the price of one human life if it meant preventing another Valantime. What she didn't realize was that she wasn't the one paying the price. It was other people. It was Issei who will die, his parents who will mourn him, and his friends that will miss him who will pay it, but from her point of view she was taking on the real burden of being forced to choose.

The scary thing is she doesn't see anything she's doing as wrong. In that sense, she's no different than her brother.

Bloody Gremorys, they're all the same.

No. No that was unfair of me. This isn't a Gremory problem but a Pure-blooded Devil problem. They see themselves so above humans that they find nothing wrong with playing with their lives. You just needed to look at how many of them mistreated the Resurrected Devils to see that. They believe that their power makes them superior to all others. What they don't realize is that their very power was given to them by mere chance, that they have done nothing to earn it or the apparent 'superiority' that comes with it.

Power earned is better than power given. For all of my issues with Sirzechs, and I have a lot of issues, I at least acknowledge that he at least lives by that rule. Even if he was never born with the Power of Destruction I had no doubt that he would have still grown to become powerful, even Maou-Class powerful.

His sister on the other hand doesn't live by that rule. Everything she had was handed to her. Her power of Destruction, her rank of Heiress and even the privilege of starting a Peerage, everything was given to her. Yet she's so proud, so confident as if she had earned all those thing she owns, instead of it all having been given to her on a silver platter.

Yet she believes that she, a not quite 18 year old girl, has the right to decide the fate of other human beings, to decide if they should live or die.

Typical Pure-Blooded Devil, so full of it.

Still, all of my complaining won't do anything to solve the issue. I can whine all I want later, when I have the time. For now, I got to think of a way to fix this mess.

Yet, there has been one thing bothering about the entire issue.

Issei having a Dragon based Sacred Gear. No, I have trouble believing it. Issei doesn't act like a Dragon, not even the slightest. A Dragon's Pride would never allow him to stoop to peeping or even allow him to run away from human girls when they inevitably caught him peeping.

This…this doesn't make sense. What if they were wrong, what if he doesn't have a Sacred Gear? Will she just let him die?

"Promise me," I stated, finally breaking the silence, "promise me that no matter what happens you'll resurrect him. Even if you find out that he doesn't bear the Boosted Gear you'll still make him a part of Peerage. If you do, then I'll give you my word that I'll not involve myself with this entire mess."

The Gremory didn't even hesitate, I'll give her that much. "I, Rias Gremory, the Heir of the Gremory Clan, one of the 72 Pillars, here by swear that I will resurrect Hyoudou Issei into my Peerage, no matter what he's Sacred Gear may or may not be."

…What is it with these Clan heirs and their formality? First Sona and now her. Couldn't they just say a simple 'I promise' and be done with it.

Still, I could feel the tension leaving my body at her words. I may not like how they're going to go about this but this was the best I could hope for.

If Issei wasn't going to be revived I would interfere nor matter what, orders or no orders. But considering that he was already being targeted by the Fallen Faction, he would need to join a Peerage for his protection if nothing else.

As much as I hate to admit it, no one watches over their Peerage like the Gremory. Not to mention that I can longer act without thinking anymore. I'm a member of a Maou's Peerage and whether I like it or not, everything I do will be have repercussions.

It's not just my life at stake if I screw up. There is no way I wanted to get Serafall in trouble because of me.

Still, I had my fill of this lot for the day. I just wanted to get out of here and go home.

"Well, if that's all you wanted to talk to me about Rias Gremory," I said as I began to stand up, an action that was soon copied by the Gremory, Akeno and surprisingly Kiba. Koneko was already back to eating another plate of snacks she had gotten from somewhere, "I believe it's time for me to get home."

They all walked me to the door, Kiba actually reaching the door before me and held it open.

I turned around and gave the occupants of the room one short wave. "Well, as much as I'd like to say I had a lovely evening meeting you all but I'm afraid I'd be lying. So instead I'll wish you all a good day. Kiba, Koneko, Akeno, Gremory." After giving each of them a quick nod as I said their name, I turned and left the room.

From behind me I heard Kiba say, "Ah, Buchou. I'm gonna help Emiya-san get back to the school entrance." Followed by the sound of a door shutting behind me, then footsteps as Kiba quickly caught up to me.

The door shut behind the departing boys, leaving the Club room occupied only by the girls of the Peerage.

* * *

><p>For a moment no one said anything, and then a light chuckle made its way from the Raven haired girl.<p>

"Ufufufu, Looks like your plan to fluster him failed, eh Buchou. Or should I say 'little pervert'."

"Shut up, Akeno." Muttered Rias, her face turning red at the memory.

"And what did he call them again? Ah, that's right. I believed it was 'watermelon stuffed bras'."

"I said, shut up Akeno." Rias repeated a little loud while her face grew a little redder. She looked down towards her chest and mutter to herself. "They're real damn it."

"Ara Ara Buchou, are you still angry on what he did to your brother?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She retorted while crossing her arms and looking away. "My brother kicked his ass."

"He also ended up looking like a porcupine didn't he?" Akeno replied, while cupping her cheek and smiling as she happily imagined the look of agony on Sirzechs's face.

Rias puffed out her checks at that, "Nii-chan is the strongest." Barely restraining herself from stomping her foot.

Rias held that pose for a moment, arms crossed and checks puffed out like a child, before she physically deflated and appeared to almost slump over. She looked suddenly looked exhausted.

"Hey Akeno," her voice was so low that it was barely heard even in the silent room, "I'm…I'm not the bad one here, am I? I mean, I'm doing the right thing…right?"

Akeno, seeing her friend in such a state, dropped her smile as she answered. "Well, I'm not sure if I could call what you're doing the right thing but at the very least I don't think you're doing the wrong thing." Then an idea popped into her head as a wicked smile graced her face. "However, if you're still feeling bad about yourself I can always, ah, _punish_ you. I know it can make really bad and naughty girls feel good again. I got a paddle and everything."

"AKENO!" her blush this time was simply atomic.

From the corner of the room where she was sitting at, Koneko looked up at them with a disapproving frown on her face before deadpanning, "…Perverts." and returning back to her meal.

* * *

><p>Despite walking side by side, not a single word passed between the two as the made their way outside of the old school building and began walking towards the forest.<p>

"…Emiya-san." Kiba finally said after they were almost halfway through the forest, "I wanted you to know that despite how it might have appeared today Buchou is not in any way a bad person. It's just she'd been in a tough position lately, what with the discovery of the Boosted Gears and the possibility of it either rampaging or the Fallen Angels nabbing it from under our noses. Not to mention the how desperate she is trying to find a way out of her marriage with Riser. Look, what I'm trying to say is that she really didn't have a choice in th-"

"Kiba," He was interrupted before he could finish his sentence. Shirou stopped in his tracks and turned to face him. He's golden coloured eyes locked onto his metallic grey ones as he spoke. "Some of the most hideous and deplorable acts that were committed by humanity was not out of malice or cruelty, but rather it was done by simple ordinary people who did what they did because 'they had no choice'."

He turned and began walking again but not before tossing one last line over his shoulder, "That doesn't make what they did any less wrong though."

Kiba had nothing he could say to that.

* * *

><p>After a long, long day I finally found my way back home.<p>

I slowly made my way up the walkway to the front door of my new home. It was a mid-sized family house, with four bed-rooms and a backyard. It was honestly too big for me alone but Serafall insisted and convinced me that it would be much better to have too much room than too little.

Plus it had a basement underneath for me to train in. I would have preferred a dojo or a large garden like I had in my old home but places like that are rare to find anywhere and almost impossible in a small city like this. I doubt that it would have done anything from stopping Serafall from just building a new house from scratch for me but fortunately I had depart for here in short notice and this was the best that she could do.

I unlocked my door and made my way in, tossing my schoolbag in the rack placed by the side of the door for that very purpose. After taking my shoes off, I made my way to the kitchen to start preparing for dinner.

"Yahoo~~~, Shirou. Welcome back~~~!" a cheerful if slightly slurred voice called out to me.

But apparently someone beat me here to it. There seated in my kitchen was a young girl.

She was in her mid-teens with forest green eyes and beautiful long blond hair that reached past the middle of her back. She had pale skin with a beautiful almost aristocratic face. Dressed in long blue denim with a simple white T-shirt with the caption 'God is Dead – Nietzsche was right after all' printed on it.

She was sitting on one of the wooden chairs surrounding the dining table that was located right in the center of the kitchen and was slumped over its surface with a goofy smile on her face. Her usually sharp and observant eyes were glazed over as she tried and failed to focus them on me. The empty wine bottle that was slowly rolling back and forth across the table gave me a hint why.

"Asia, is that the wine bottle I had hidden for guests?" I asked.

She shifts her head from where it laid planted on the table to look at the empty bottle. "Why yes," her eyes widening in surprise as she slurred her words slightly, "yes it is. How did that get there?"

"I believe you put it there, and unless I'm mistaken, you've been drinking from it." I could feel a headache beginning to from right between my eyebrows.

"Yes, yes I have." She lifted her head off the table and started to nod. "And it was wonderful~!" She threw her hand wide and began to lean back on her chair.

"No wonder the old fogeys at the church didn't want me to drink any. This stuff is awesome! The bastards probably just wanted to keep it all for themselves." She continued to lean backwards until she was balancing the chair on its two back legs.

No, I actually think they were just terrified of what a drunken Asia would look like. Like I was quickly learning to be.

Snatching up the empty wine bottle she held it up to the sky like she was about to offer a toast. "Truly wine is a gift from the all mighty. For good drinks and those who prepared it, for good friends with whom to share it," here she pointed the wine bottle at me before raising it to the sky again, "we thank you Lord. Amen-OUCH!"

Clutching her head at the sharp sudden pain she was no doubt feeling, she ended up losing her balance and her entire chair began to fall backwards, sending her tumbling onto the floor.

For a few seconds there was nothing but awkward silence in the kitchen, until a voice made its way from the other side of the table, "Owie~ that hurts~." A hand emerged from behind the table, holding onto its surface as its owner used it to push herself back up.

"Asia, you're a Devil now. You can't praise god anymore."

"What!? Really? You mean I can't even pay him a complement? Well then, screw you too God. I was just trying to praise you oh Holy Father – Ouch! Son of a bitch will you stop that! You won't believe how much that hurt, Jesus Christ – OUCH!"

…It was like watching a car crash. No matter how much you wanted to look away you just couldn't.

"What!" she wailed towards the sky, "It's bad enough that I can't pray to you anymore but now you're telling me I can't even cuss? Jesus, Mary and Joseph that's harsh – SON OF A BITCH THAT STINGS!"

Releasing her grip on her head after her latest bout of headache, Asia then began to glare towards the heavens before proceeding to flip God off. Or at least she tried to anyway.

"No, Asia you're supposed to use the middle finger, not the ring finger." I corrected her, "Yup, that's much better."

Ladies and Gentleman, allow me to introduce my Bishop. Asia Argento, the former Holy Maiden turned Witch turned Devil…and now apparently turned alcoholic.

Yup, that was definitely a headache starting form.

* * *

><p>Play OST Fate Stay Night – Kishi Ou no Hokori<p>

_It's funny how life goes sometimes._

I walked through the moonlit town. Walking up the road, I noticed there weren't any other people around. It was only seven-thirty. There should have been some people around at this time, but there was no sign of anyone.

_You can go looking and looking for something and never find it._

"...Oh yeah." I muttered. There was some kind of crime committed here in Miyama City a few days ago. A burglar murdered someone, I think. It got everybody spooked. That must be why there's no one around, and it was probably why the school curfew was lowered till six.

"…Gas leaks and murder, huh? It's been getting dangerous lately."

No wonder there are fewer people walking around at night.

_But when finally you stop looking,_

"…Huh?"

_it ends up appearing right in front of you._

For a moment, I couldn't believe my eyes. There is someone on the road which I was sure was empty. The person is standing above me as if looking down on me. It was a young girl with snow white hair that shimmered like silver in the moonlight and eyes that shone ruby red.

Without realizing it, I held my breath. _I knew that girl._ The silver-haired girl smiles and descends the hill without a sound.

As she passes…

"You'll die if you don't summon-"

"-Ilya?" I interpreted before she finished talking, not caring how the grocery bag slipped out of my slackness hands and spilled onto the sidewalk.

"…huh?" She answered, surprised.

_I remember when Kiritsugu told me I had a sister. _

I turned and walked towards her, hesitantly covering the space between us in two strides, not even noticing how the world around blurred as tear began to gather in my eyes.

_When I asked where she was, he told me he lost her. So I went looking…_

_I searched and searched but I couldn't find her_

"…Ilya, Your Ilya right?" I asked again, hesitantly as my voice wavered and cracked. I kneeled before her, lowering myself to eye level. "Illyasviel von Einzbern, right? I-Is that you?" I didn't realize that I had tentatively placed my hands on my shoulder until I felt the material of her jacket in my hand.

_Even though I really, really wanted to meet her. Even though I really wanted to talk to her, I couldn't find her. No matter how long or hard I tired._

"..y-yes?" She replied, seemingly utterly perplexed by my actions. At her reply I felt my sight blur from unshed tears.

_But now, here you are standing right before me_

"Ha-ha…I found you" I felt tears that were barely held in check begin to spill down my face. "finally …I… I FINALLY FOUND YOU!"

_You're here, you were really here!_

"W-Whaa!" she squealed out in surprised as I wrapped my arms around her, stood up and swung her around.

"I found you! Ilya I finally, finally found you!" I exclaimed as I continued to twirl you around in circles, laughing like a madman.

_I wanted to meet you for the longest time_

"W-What?" she asked with a completely bewildered expression, looking more confused than anything. "What's going on?"

But I didn't care, as I continued to laugh out my joy to the world.

_Now at last, at long last, I can final say:_

_Hi, I'm your brother. _

_Nice to finally meet you._

* * *

><p>Name: Toujou Koneko<p>

Class: Rook

Master: Rias Gremory

Official Rank: Low-Class Devil

Race: Devil / Nekomata (Nekoshou)

Strength: D

Endurance: D+

Agility: E+

Mana: E

Luck: D-

Scared Gear/ Ability/ Weapon: Senjustu (Sealed), Youjutsu (untrained)

Racial skill:

**-Devil skill**:

As a Reincarnated Devil, all basic abilities of a Devil are availed to her.

**-Nekomata (Nekoshou) skills**:

Chakra: **N/A**

For her own personal reasons, Koneko has chosen to abandon her abilities to wield Chakra and has sealed them away.

Youjutsu: **N/A**

Literally meaning "Demon Arts", Youjutsu is the brand of magic only accessible to Youkai. It primarily consists of casting and using illusion. Unlike Devil magic, Youjutsu is not an instinctive form of magic and requires years of training to learn cast. Koneko has received no training in Youjutsu and is unable to wield it.

Enhanced Senses: **D**

As a Nekomata, Koneko is gifted with a heighted sense of smell and hearing. Her reflexes are so good that she is often able to notice and react to small tells from her opponent, something she would not have been able to do if she was born with normal Devil reflexes.

She is also born with an excellent sense of balance. Do not be surprised to find her always landing on her feet.

Cat form: **B**

All Nekomata have two forms, their human forms and their cat forms. This is an instinctive ability and requires very little practice to learn. When in cat form, Koneko is all for all intents and purposes a cat. She would be unable to use any of her magic or abilities and appearance wise she would not be any different that any ordinary cat.

However Nekomata are physically stronger than an average cat when in their cat form and Koneko, as a Rook, will be even stronger. Koneko dislikes using this ability in public as it requires her to abandon her cloths when transforming since she cannot take it with her as a cat.

While not truly considered a form, it is possible to combine the two primary forms to make a third one. While it has no official name, it is widely known as 'Cat-girl'. In this form Koneko will have a pair of cat ear and tails.

She almost never reveals this form as it really popular among perverts and would only be willing to show it some he trusts.

Personal Skills:

Hand-to-Hand combat skills: **C**

In place of Chakra, Koneko has instead focused in her physical skills. Throwing herself in her martial arts training with a passion that bordered on obsession, Koneko was able to master the art of unarmed combat to an almost unprecedented level. What would take most Devils, even rooks, decades to master, she has done in less than six year.

While praised as a genius by some, that was far from the case. During her years as a Rook of Gremory she was offered more freedom and privileges than most Peerage members, which she took full advantage of.

Using the Gremory resources, she secured herself lessons with the some of the best combat trainers availed in the underworld. What was remarkable however is not the quality of the training she had availed, but the insane amount of effort she would put into it.

She would join training sessions with students twice her age, and will continue to train herself hours after the sessions would end, even if she must do so alone. There have been many cases where she trained until she collapses from pure exhaustion, only to get back up the next day to repeat the process. It reached the point where her trainers had to drag her off the training field to prevent her from damaging her body.

While not a natural geniuses, Koneko's relentless hard work has caused her skills to advance at a remarkable speed. Combined with her unique sense of balance gifted to her by her race, she was able to become a master in hand-to-hand combat before the age of 15.

As a C rank, Koneko is considered an expert in her field of martial arts, and more than qualified to train advance students.

One with Nature: **E**

As a Nekoshou, Koneko is highly in-tuned with Nature.

This abilities mostly stems from her ability to wield Chakra, as Chakra is the life force of the world around us, thus as long as her Chakra remains sealed she would be unable to use this skill to her full ability.

At its current Rank of E Koneko is able sense strong emotion from people in her immediate vicinity.

Poker Face: **D-**

The skill of hiding one's emotion.

Koneko is very gifted in hiding her feelings, to the point where no can understand what she's truly thinking unless they were either extremely close to her or talented at understanding people.

While in most cases this would be a positive skill to have, in this case it can almost be considered a curse. This is because Koneko rarely ever takes her poker face off, leaving most people around her with a false understanding of who she really is or what she is feeling

However it does have two weaknesses. The first is food, as Koneko is unable to mask her love for good tasting food (sweets in particular). The other is Perverts. Rather than be called a weakness, it would be more accurate to say that her hatred for perverts has simply made her _unwilling_ to hide her hatred for them.

Cuteness: **C**

Also known as Moe… enough said.

Koneko's cuteness has reached the level where she can receives gifts and treats from total strangers, both male and female. Against an enemy that is a Lolicon, it causes them to become unwilling to harm her in anyway.

Gluttony: **B**

Koneko's person Sin…though she would call it her pleasure.

Koneko love for food can rival the Pervert Trio's love for porn. She loves all kinds of food, though she loves Japanese sweats best of all. Despite here size Koneko is capable of eating an obscene about of food that will often leave onlookers stunted and wonder where did all of the food go.

Seriously where does all the food go? Even the System that governs the world is unable to answer this question.

Name: Emiya Shirou

Class: Queen

Master: Serafall Leviathan

Official Rank: Ultimate-Class Devil

Race: Devil / Human (Not of this Dimension)

Strength: C-

Endurance: C-

Agility: C

Mana: C++

Luck: E- to A++

Scared Gear/ Ability/ Weapon:

Unlimited Bladeworks (and all abilities that originate from it) **EX**

Racial skill:

**-Devil skill**:

As a Reincarnated Devil, all basic abilities of a Devil are availed to him. However due to him being only recently reincarnate, he has not had the time to advance on any of these skills and would be considered a beginner when compared to a typical Devil his age.

**-Human from another world: **

Born from a different universe, with a different system of magic exist. Shirou, having been born with circuits which he still retains as a devil, I able to a brand of magic no human in this universe can.

Shirou was found to have 27 working circuits of above average quality when examined by his adopted father, Kiritsugu. While considered to be a decent amount of circuits for someone from a family of magus, for a person from a completely ordinary family it would be considered to be an extraordinary high amount. It is for reason

This magic is known a Magecraft. While no other human than him is capable of using it, it may be possible for his children to inherit this ability. If that has been proven to be so, then Shirou will have the right to form a Clan of his own.

Because Shirou is the first ever human of his kind to ever be reincarnated no one know what effects it will have on his magic.

There are many mysteries that have yet to be uncovered concerning this skill.

Personal Skills:

Orthodox Magecraft **D-**

Despite being a Magus, Shirou is considered a failure when measured by the standards of a typical Magi and would have been considered 3rd rate one at best. However that is only true because he had abandoned the path of the magus and chosen to pursue the road of a spell caster.

Still, no matter how hard he tried, Shirou would never been able to pass the rank of an Apprentice Magus. He's specialized form of magic would have prevented him for casting anything higher than D rank spells no matter how hard he tried. Even D ranks spell, ones that an average Magus can learn in days, will take Shirou years of practice to cast. The only spells Shirou can cast with reasonable proficiency outside of his specialty are E Rank spells.

However this has done nothing to hamper is ability to learn and understand the theoretical side of magic. While no genius, Shirou has always been a diligent and hardworking student.

Over the years he had several people from Emiya Kiritsugu to Illyasviel and even Rin, teach him some form of knowledge of Magecraft. Thanks to them Shirou has a solid understand of the common practices of Magecraft and how they function, such as the creation of Bounded Fields and Familiars, despite being unable to cast most of them himself.

Due to being transported to a new world, Shirou was never able to complete his studies as a Magus and is now unlikely to have ever reached his true potential in this field.

If he was allowed to continue his studies however, Shirou would have the potential to raise his Rank to C-.

Hero's luck: **Ex**

Heroes have always been destiny's plaything. They are thrown into the most extreme and unusually situation time after time, and their luck reflects that.

A hero's luck tends to jump from both extreme ends of good and bad. For example, by pure chance your childhood home may be located in the heart of blazing fire caused by a being of pure evil trying and failing to be reborn into the world, resulting in not only in the deaths of your entire family and everything you know and love but have also caused you to lose all memories. On the other hand you'll be fortunate enough to be found in the last possible second by perhaps the only man in the country that can heal your life threating wound, adopt you, love you as if you were his own son and teach you how to wield magic.

This is the reason why most heroes have tragic pasts.

There are also times when your good and bad fortune would be combined into a single event, for example:

On one hand, you may find yourself running though a forest with nigh unkillable berserker chasing after you, with less than a one in a million chance of coming out of it alive. On the other hand, the one in a million chance of survival requires you to have a sex with a beautiful blond, and since it needs to be done in a certain way another beautiful women, a brunette this time, will have to participate to make sure it's done right.

That's right, you'll face certain death but you'll find the only way to defy your fate is through the power of a threesome.

Shirou's luck is so unpredictable that it cannot be properly quantified in the current system, and such has been given the rank of EX.

Compared to a Devil's luck, he is just as likely to accidently find a damsel in distress or walk into a Cthulhu ritual but will have no luck in pure gambling. On the rare occasion that he actually ends up winning in a casino, it would likely trigger an event that would end up with him fighting for his life soon afterwards.

Shirou's pure-hearted desire to help people has influence how this luck manifests itself. Rather than simply making him go on adventure after adventure like most heroes born with a 'Hero's luck', it will instead cause him to run into people who are in need of assistance, whether from large problems such as saving their child from a kidnapping attempt or small things like a lonely soul who really needs a friend by their side.

Do not be surprised if Shirou runs into an unusually high number people who are emotional 'damaged', as they are the kind of people that Shirou's luck will draw him to.

Magic Resistance **C++**

All beings with abnormally large amount of magic flowing through of them will gain a natural resistance to all foreign magic, whether they be benign or harmful.

At its current rank of C, Shirou's Magic Resistance is sufficient enough to cancel out all E Rank Magic spells cast on him and cuts the effects of D rank magic by half.

However when it comes to swords, Shirou's Magic Resistance becomes more effective. Magical effects from swords that he is not wielding from C rank and bellow is canceled out completely. While the effects of those that are of B rank will be cut in half.

These effects however is only limited to the magical aspects of the sword. Physical damage from cutting or thrusting will remind unchanged.

Will of the Serafall **C-**

This is less a skill and more of a curse.

Serafall, despite her appearance, is perhaps one of the most persuasive Devils to have ever been born. She is highly skilled in understanding what make a person tick and is unhesitant at using that knowledge to help turn people's opinion to match her point of view. Those who spend long periods of time in her presence tend to find their opinions or attitudes change to one more similar to hers. The sever rise in Magic Girl fans in the underworld is attributed to her, as thousands of Devils who have shown no interest in the matter have been turned to fan-boy/girls simply by talking to her.

Do to being continuously exposed to Serafall over the course of the last six months, Shirou has begun to exhibit many of her traits. In particular, he has begun to develop the traits of a prankster.

While it has not reached the point where Shirou will actively try and create pranks, he will no longer be able to resist if an opportunity presents itself.

Sword Skills **C++**

Shirou is an excellent swordsman. Though he has spent less time training on his swords skill than his archery, due to his affinity with swords Shirou was able to reach the rank of an expert swordsman in a remarkable short period of time.

At C rank, Shirou is considered an expert in the field of swordsmanship and is more than qualified to train advance students.

However Shirou's real potential in the field does not lie in his raw talents with the blade, but rather his abilities to mimic the skills of any of the previous wielders of a sword and use it as if it were his own.

When holding a sword that was once wielded by a true master of the blade, his sword skill has the potential of rising to an A rank. Though this ability seems to work best when used on swords he has traced himself.

To a limited extent, this also applies to other bladed weapons but the effects are degraded by up to one or two ranks depending on how different the weapon is from the shape of a sword.

Shirou's fighting ability also takes a remarkable improvement when facing an enemy armed with a sword (or a weapon that can be replicated in his Unlimited Bladeworks). This is due to his ability to read the sword's history.

With a single glance he can understand his opponent's entire fighting style as well as he does his own, as long as his opponent has being wielding the sword he is currently using long enough.

This makes Shirou almost impossible to be beaten by a fellow swordsman unless Shirou is significantly inferior to his opponent.

Extreme Reinforcement **B**

Even in his old world, Shirou has always been a remarkably skilled in Reinforcement. However, after witnessing the large gap in physical abilities between himself and even the weakest of the Servants in the Holy Grail war, he became unsatisfied with his current skills and became determined to improve himself.

Inspired by how Caster was able to reinforce her master, Souichirou Kuzuki a normal if highly skilled human, to the point where he gained far more strength than should have been possible even with magecraft. It reached the point where he was able to physically harm a Saber-Class Servant, a Servant whose defense is only matched by Berserker-Class Servants.

After his encounter with Caster, Shirou threw himself into improving his Reinforcement abilities above anything else after the War. At first he has met with little success as his human body simply could not be reinforced anymore without breaking but ever since his transformation to Devil, his skill in Reinforcement has flourished.

His control over his ability to Reinforcement his body has reached the point where he can bypass the Devils body's natural limits, granting him far more strength and speed than should be possible, without crossing the point where his body would self-destruct.

At B rank, Shirou's Extreme Reinforcement ability would allow him to increase his speed to a Rank of **B** and his strength to that of **C+**.

However be warned that Shirou's body cannot withstand the strain for long. There is a reason why the body has a natural limit to Reinforcement and by bypassing it the body will begin to breakdown if used for long periods of time.

Due to the massive amount of strain that the body will be placed under when this skill is in use, Shirou's body will become slightly more vulnerable to physical damage, causing a drop in his Endurance Rank down to **D+**.

On the up side however, due to the increase amount of magic that is actively flowing in his body when the skill is in use, his Magical Resistance is also slightly improved from **C **to **C+**.

Body of swords **B**

An internalization of the Unlimited Bladeworks.

By casting the Unlimited Bladeworks into his body rather than projecting it outwards, Shirou is cable of turning his entire body into swords.

At first Shirou was unaware of this ability and only began to suspect it when noticing how my tougher is body becomes when injured. He only became completely aware of it after seeing blades start sprouting out from a cut and start knitting his wounds together.

When used, Shirou's body will become stronger and tougher than it would be possible otherwise, turning into his body to what is equivalent of a moving fortress. It will cause Shirou's Endurance Stat to increase to rank of **B+**.

At that rank no physical attack ranked C and lower would be able to harm, causing them to be neglected completely. While physical attacks ranked B will still have some effect they will be greatly reduced requiring several strikes to cause a mortal blow. Shirou's magic Resistance will also increase to the Rank of **B**.

However this ability comes at a cost. Due to entire body turning to swords his joints will no longer able to function properly, making it hard for him to move and leading to an extreme reduction in speed. Shirou's Rank in Agility will drop to the rank of **E** making him incredibly slow in comparison to his usual speed.

Be warned that this ability does not come without its share of risks. Not only is using it for long periods of time extremely draining Magic wise, it will also increase the risk of losing control. If that were to happen Shirou will be skewered by his own swords, leading to his death. Currently Shirou can only use 'Body of Sword' for a few minutes at most before is grip on it start to slip.

There is however more to this ability than meets the eye. There are many secrets that have yet to be discovered concerning its use that Shirou has yet to discover.

Beloved of the Sword **A**

Shirou's affinity with swords is so high that to claim that swords love him would not be an exaggeration.

Holy blades, something that would turn a normal Devil to dust with merely a cut, will do no such thing to Shirou. While he will still be cut, he will receive no more damage than if he was an ordinary human. The cause of this effect is believed to be due to the amount of holy swords he has currently stored inside him combine with the existence of Avalon, a Holy artifact, which was fused into his body as a child.

However this only applies with something that is a 'Sword' not shaped like a sword. Angles and Fallen Angels are capable for forming swords of light, however these do not qualify as a swords as they are merely magic in the cast into the form of a sword, not an actually sword. Thus Shirou will not fare against them any better than ordinary Devils.

He is also able to wield Holy swords himself, something thought to be impossible for a Devil.

While the ability is still effective on other bladed weapons, the farther it is from the form of a sword the less effective this abilities will work.

Archery **B**

Shirou was a member of the Archery Club during his freshman year in his last year. During the period he was enrolled he had only missed the target once, but even the he said "It will miss" before even firing the shot.

Nothing less than 'Genius' can adequately describe his skill as an archer.

A once a century talent, if Shirou had continued his pursuit in archery he would have most likely ended up as a world champion. Unfortunately Shirou has shown no interest in pursuing archery and, after a disagreement with one of the club members, left the Archery Club during the summer of his freshman year.

Shirou's skill in archer has reached the point that he will never miss any target he aims for. That however does not mean that he will always hit the target, as if the target moves in an unexpected manner before the arrow reaches it he will miss. While Shirou is more than capable of hitting a moving target he currently lacks the ability and experience to accurately anticipate the movement of living target.

However given enough time and training, Shirou has the potential to become one of the greatest archers in recorded history.

Eye of the mind (true) **D+**

Despite his age, Shirou has quite a mind for combat.

After experiencing the horrors of the Holy Grail, where Shirou has watched and participated in battles between Heroic Spirits that ruled over the battlefield of their era, he has adapted to the reality of combat. He now no longer experiences panic or extreme fear during combat and is capable of remaining calm and analytical even in the middle of a warzone, thus allowing him to observe the situation and choose the best course of action for success.

While quite talented, Shirou lacks the pure experience to bring most out of this skill. However given enough time in the battlefield, Shirou will have the potential to eventual raise this skill to a B rank.

At his current level, as long as there is a reasonable chance of a comeback, this skill will greatly increase the odds of winning.

Cooking **C+**

Kiritsugu, Shirou's foster father, had no talent in housework. If left to his own devices he would have take-out or junk food for most of his meals. Having grown up in such an environment, Shirou was forced to learn to cook for himself if he wanted to have a decent meal.

While at first it was a mere chore, Shirou soon began to love cooking and ended up developing quite a talent for it. His forte is Japanese cooking but he is reasonably proficient with all different kinds of food.

At C rank, Shirou is able to cook food with the skill of a professional first-class chief. However when Reinforcement is added into the mix, the quality of Shirou's food reaches the level that borders on the divine.

If Shirou was ever forced to serve the gods as a chief, even they would not find anything lacking in his food.

Origin of 'Spirit' **?**

Not much is currently known about the effects of this origin. The only thing that is certain is that Shirou has become my more emphatic to other people and is also better at understanding them.

**Author's Notes:**

Ok that's a rap. So what did you think of my new Asia? The thing is with cannon Asia, is that she's a really great character…for a nine year old. If there is one thing you'll find in my stories is that I HATE stupid characters. So none of the character here are gonna be stupid, not even the villains (not sure if I can write a smart Issei though so I'm not going to). Asia in my story is an intelligent characters, she may be Naïve about the world but not how people work so she's not gonna be gullible. Ps her history is different from Cannon.

Cliché 3: Whatever side I'm on is good and the rest is evil. If the main character in a story joins the devil side the fallen and angles become bad guys, or if he joins the fallen then same thing happens. In my story just because Shirou is a Devil now doesn't make the devils the good guys.

So about Shirou's new Origin.

After the fire, Shirou was a blank slate, completely wiped clear from his past. That was why Avalon was able to change his origin in the first place because he was an empty shell thus didn't even really have one. But this time, Shirou found value in himself "Is he smiling because of me?" that thought made him think of himself as something valuable, something worth smiling over. He was no longer an empty shell.

So did I pull it of well?

One thing I hated about Cannon is how they hype their own characters. I mean take Rias for example, everyone goes on and on about how perfect she is and strong she is but what did she actually do? Everything was given to her! And she didn't help her peerage for any of their problems. Plus for a person who claims to treat her Peerage like family she ended up SLAPPING Kiba because he wasn't paying attention to a ball game because he was lost in the memories of his murdered friends. I doubt Rias ever got spanked let alone slapped in her life. Don't worry I'm not gonna bash her because I hate Bashing of all kids but I plan to portray her as a realistic character.

So what did you guys think of the chapter? Good? Bad? And I while I thankful for every review even a 'good job', I would love it if you told me what you liked and what you didn't like about the chapter so I can improve my writing and give you guys more of what you liked.

Oh and what did you think about the Stats page? did I make it work or Bomb it?

Thanks again for reading.

I'll be posting the next Devil's guide within the hour.

PS the formatting for submitting stories to this site is a pain in the ass.


	5. Chapter 5: Devil's Guidebook 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or High school DxD, just the original concepts and plot in this story. This Crossover is a complete AU**

**Author's Notes:**

Well, here's the second one.

I know that many Readers don't like to read it so let me say that you CAN skip it. It will basically be like not reading the Stats on Servants in fate/stay night or the codex info in Mass Effect. This chapter details how the Evil system works in the AU. I will try to keep guide book chapters much smaller than the plot chapters so they'll be easier to digest.

The Devil's Guide is meant to add to the enjoyment so if you don't like it you can skip it.

PS. For those of you wondering, Shirou's C++ in magic, the '++' is for when he's casting sword related magic.

(More info in Author's note at bottom of page for those of you skipping.)

**Story Start**

* * *

><p>Devil's Guidebook 2<p>

**Evil piece system:**

There is a lot of controversy and mystery regarding how the Evil Piece system works.

This lack of understanding is primarily due to Ajuka Beelzebub, the creator of the Evil Pieces, refusing to divulge any detailed information about how the system works. This was done in an effort to prevent other factions from reverse engineering the Evil Piece system and creating a version of their own.

It was NOT because Ajuka finds people stumbling around in the dark and making utter fools of themselves when trying to figure out how to use his creation amusing. Sirzechs himself came to personally reassure us that this was not the case, and when a Demon lord with the power to wipe out your existence down to the cellular level tells you to trust him, you trust him.

Never fear however, for after years of research mixed in with pure trial and error, the Devil community has finally begun to have a solid understanding on how the Evil Piece system works.

Let us start with the two most misunderstood pieces, the mighty King and the humble Pawn.

**King:**

Most people are under the assumption that Devils who receive a King's Piece are not affected by the Evil Piece in anyway. That however is false. While it is true the King's Piece does not grant any benefits to the Devil in question, it does come with a cost.

When a Devil become a King, they permanently Seal away approximately 20% of their total magic reserves. That is the price that a King needs to pay to make the Evil Piece function. Have you ever wondered where the power to resurrect a dead comes from? Did you truly thing that such a thing is possible without a great cost?

To understand why so much power is needed, you need to be aware of a single fact. That in reality most Resurrected Devils are not actually alive or at least not completely.

It is a well-known fact that Devils need to magic to survive. What is less known however is that Devils need a certain amount of magic in them to live. If at any point the magic in a Devils body drops below that amount they will drop dead. In many ways a Devil's relationship with magic is similar to that of human's with blood.

The problem is that Resurrected Devils are simply incapable of producing enough magic in their bodies to support themselves. This is where the King Piece comes in. A King's true role in a Peerage is to provide to the other member of the Peerage with enough magical energy to function. Putting it bluntly, a King it basically one large battery.

I'm sure many of you have spotted the flaw in this logic. If the King is the source of the Peerage's magic then it the rest of the Peerage should be incapable of producing more than the King. It would be more accurate to say that the all the magic of the Peerage combined should equal only 20% of the Kings magic.

Now I'm sure all of you are aware that this is simply not true. Anyone who watched a single Rating Game can attest that several Bishops and Queens have been able to cast spells with just as much, if not more, magic than their King. If a King truly provide the entire magic for the Peerage, then how is this possible?

The answer is the Evil Piece.

The biggest misconception regarding the Evil Pieces when it was first created was that its sole function is to create Resurrected Devils. After many years of research we have discovered that not only is that not true, but its ability to resurrect is not even is most astonishing function.

The most remarkable things about the Evil Pieces is their ability to amplify magic. While how this is possible is unknown, the Evils Pieces within a Resurrected Devil can greatly amplify the amount of magic they received from their King. To the point that the Resurrected Devil can have more magic than their King.

When tested on an unused Evil Piece it has been found that the Piece was incapable of amplifying magic on its own. It's seems to only work when inside a living Devil. Why does it require a living Devil is unknown. When Ajuka Beelzebub was asked the very same question he declined to answer.

…Although he did snicker at the questioner for some reason. Again, we'd like to remind you that Ajuka does not take amusement at out ignorance, the really nice Maou with the power to wipe out our existence said so.

The discovery of this function has led to a unique cultural change in Devils Clans. Previous all children of the Clan, heirs or not, were awarded with their own Evil Pieces set when they have demonstrated they had the magic capacity and reserves to use them. However when the Clans discovered that the Evil Pieces can amply the magic within their children that changed.

Some of the Clans who were fortunately enough to be blessed with multiple children have stopped bestowing Evil Pieces to their youngest children and instead made them a part of one of their more powerful Clan mate's Peerage. The purpose of this is to use the Evil Pieces to magnify their children's already high magical reserves, causing them to become even more powerful than they would have been otherwise.

Ravel Phoenix is an example of such a case. She was given the place of a Bishop in her brother's Peerage when it was discovered that she was only born with an averaged sized magic reserves. However after she became a Bishop her magical reserves has drastically increased to the point that it now surpasses her brother.

This function is made especially clear when you look at stray Devils. No longer capable of drawing magic from their Kings they need another source of Mana. They often resort to devouring humans to achieve it. During the time when the Old Devil Faction ruled the underworld, it was a common practice to eat humans as a way to quickly replenish their magic supply, as even the weakest of human have some Mana within them.

This is why Resurrected Devils often remain in their King's Peerage even after they form a Peerage of their own. While it's true that most Resurrected Devils that become strong enough to get their own Peerage are often capable of sustaining themselves without the Evil Piece within them, most are simply unwilling to give up the large boost in power the Evil Piece grants them.

There are extremely rare cases however of human with such massive magic reserves that they can sustain themselves immediately after their Resurrection. However there has only been one recorded case of this happening so it unknown whether this is truly possible or just a single freak occurrence. The one human happened to be Rudiger Rosenkreutz, the Ultimate-Class Devil who is currently Ranked 7th in the Rating Games.

Children born to Resurrected Devils do not need anyone to provide them with power as they are born with enough magic to sustain themselves.

The 20% cost in power is the reason why many older generation of Devils do not have their own Peerage. They are unwilling to part with the power when they can simply hire Devils to serve them instead.

A key factor of why stronger Devils have stronger Peerages is because the amount of magic they can supply their Peerages is much higher than a weaker Devils.

**Pawn:**

The most confusing aspect of the Pawn piece is its unique ability to promote itself to any other piece. The question that is most commonly asked is why does the Promotion ability only function in enemy territory?

The fact of the matter is that Promotion can function anywhere, it's just that without the King's explicit permission, the Pawn Piece was programmed not to.

The purpose of this limit is to protect both the King and the Pawn. Those of you that have been reading this guide from the beginning should be aware that there is a limit to the amount of magic a Devil can reinforce his body with. That is because if a body is has more magic coursing through its system than it can safely handle the body will, well _break_.

Promotion in Pawns works by temporary granting the Pawn the ability to handle more magic running thought its body than what would normally be possible. But this ability isn't all powerful, there are limits. A Pawn can only hold that much power for so long before his body begins to break down.

A newly reincarnate Pawn can sustain a Queen promotion for only five full minutes before they reach the point where they begin putting their lives at risk. And that is five minutes a week as the Pawn will need at least that long to recover from its damage. That is why the limit is put in place, so that pawns won't continuously promote and end up killing themselves.

That is also the reason why Pawns are able to Promote to Knights, Rooks and Bishops instead of only Queens. The other three types of Promotions put far less strain on Pawns than Queens, allowing them to sustain their Promotion safely for longer periods of time.

There are ways to circumvent this limit however. The simplest and least effective manner is training. While a rather slow method, with time and practice a Pawn can expand the time limit of their promotion.

The second way is to simply resurrect a Pawn with several Pieces. In addition to improving the base Stats of the Pawn, the more Pieces as Pawn takes when being resurrected the better they can handle the strain of Promotion. It is estimated that a Pawn Resurrected with 9 Pawn Pieces will be able to sustain a Queen Promotion indefinitely.

In recent years it has become a popular practice among Devils hoping to create a combat based Peerage to only resurrect Pawns that cost at least three or four Pawn Pieces as it is believed that any less would not be enough to make the Pawn an asset in battle.

The other reason why Promotion is restricted is to limit the Drain of magic on the King. As we have mentioned above, it take 20% of a King's magic supply to support a Peerage consisting of 1 Queen, 2 Rooks, 2 Knights, 2 Bishops and 8 Pawns.

Now imagine what would happen if all 8 Pawns promote themselves to Queen, The King will now how to supply enough Magic to sustain 9 Queens, 2 Rook, 2 Knights and 2 Bishops. In such a scenario the drain of magic on the King will increase to several time to what it usual is. Such a huge drain at long periods will eventually learn to the death of the King or potential damage their magic system leaving crippled.

The Promotion ability is limited for a good reasons. Although there have been cases that Ajuka had been willing to remove the limit when a Pawn had proven himself capable of handling the burden of Promotion.

**Knight:**

The knight is a fairly simple Piece to understand. It is incredibly fast and...that's it really.

Yet where does the Knight get its speed? If it was just an increase in muscles strength than shouldn't the Knight have strength as well as speed? The secret to the knight's speed lies within their bones.

Unlike any other Piece the Knight's bones have been hollowed out, not unlike that of a bird's. In place of marrow, it is filled with the same brand of magic used that allow Devils to fly with their wings (look up the entry bellow labeled 'Flight Magic' for a better understanding).

This Magic allows Knights the ability to move in incredible speeds but leaves their bones in a brittle state. Which is why the Knight's lower legs are considered their weak point. As it is easy for a strike to directly hit a bone when aiming for the legs where there is too little muscle or fat covering the shins, knees or feet.

Another weak point that is created by the Knight's hollow bones is that they are incapable of striking an opponent when going full speed. If they do the momentum of the strike is just as likely to break their arms as it is to harm the enemy. That is why Devils who are much slower than a Knight is still capable of blocking their strikes, as there is a moment before the blow lands where the Knight has to slow down. However this is still an incredibly difficult thing to do, as even when slowing down Knights strikes are incredibly fast.

While a Knight's Piece does increase a Devil's speed it does not increase the Devil's reflexes. So newly made Knights need to train their reflexes to match their speed or else they'd be forced to slow down when in crowded areas, in places with uneven terrain or when approaching an enemy.

There has been more than one case where recently Reincarnated Knights failed to turn in time and ended up going splat against a wall…kind of like a fly on a car's windshield.

**Rook:**

Overwhelming strength matched with an impenetrable defensive, those are the characteristics that make up a Rook.

Yet why are Rooks slow? If they have so much strength within them then shouldn't that lead to an increase in speed as well? Especially since there is no significant increase in weight when a Devil is resurrected as a Rook.

The answer lies in their tendons. The key to the Rook's strength is not their muscles but their tendons and bones.

A common misconception is that by building up one's muscles will lead to affective increase in strength but that is simply not true. Both Devil and human muscles are capable of exerting much more strength than they normal do. But the brain prevents this because using your muscles to their full capacity will damage your body. To be more precise, your tendons will snap or your bones will splinter under the strain.

There have been cases where Devils have attempted to increase the strength of their muscles through magic but not anything else. Not surprisingly, their body was literally ripped to bits when they attempted to test their newfound strength as their muscle pulled itself off their bones.

It is actually believed that the Rook's defense was created as a result of trying to make a body sturdy enough to withstand the strain of a sharp increase in strength. That the defense was a consequence of trying to create as physically strong devil not the purpose.

The result is that Rooks have incredible hard bone. So hard that there have been Rooks that have suffered attacks strong enough to pulverize their internal organs but leave their bones completely unharmed.

The weak spot for a Rook are the areas in the body unprotect by bone such the belly, throat and eyes. Magic attacks are also potential weakness as their body is far more effective and resisting physical damage than elemental ones.

Due the tendons becoming so tough, it doesn't expand and contract as fast as it used to.

**Bishop:**

The Bishop is by far the easiest Piece to understand.

When a Devil is resurrected as a Bishop, their magic reserves and capacity are greatly increased. For those of you don't know the terms, magic reserves is the maximum amount of Mana a Devil can store in his body at any given moment, while the magic capacity is the amount of Mana a Devil can pour into his spells.

In simple terms the more reserves you have the more spells you can cast, while the higher your capacity the more powerful you can make your spells.

Peerage Bond (Magic Resistance):

All living creatures that are capable of casting magic have some form of Magic Resistance. The more Mana the being has the higher is its resistance.

Magic Resistance has been one of the biggest problems in Devil history. While it can be beneficial as it will block the effects of harmful spell, it also blocks the effect of benevolent spells such as healing magic. There have been many cases in the past where a powerful Devils' Magic Resistance has led to their deaths from their wounds as their body were not affected by the healing spells.

This was however been solved by the introduction of the Evil Piece system.

Since all the members of a Peerage have the magical power of their King coursing through their body, their magical signatures all resemble on another as their magic have traces of their King's within them. They resemble each other so much that a Devil's body will mistake a Peerage member's magic as their own.

This phenomena will cause a Devil's Magic Resistance to have no effect between Peerage members as their body no longer recognizes it as 'foreign' magic. This allows Peerage members to heal one another with unprecedented ease or even allow the transfer of magical energy between members.

This is why skin contact between Peerage members can help an injured Devil heal, as magical energy will transfer from the healthy Devil to the injured one. However this is a mostly ineffective method of healing and should only be used when no other forms of healing is availed.

While rare, there are magical items or Sacred Gears that are capable of bypassing Magic Resistance altogether. They are however extremely rare and highly sought after.

Twilight healing is perhaps one of the most well-known of these. Capable of not just bypassing Magic Resistance but healing with non-holy magic, thus making it possible to heal Devils, many Devils are willing to pay enough gold to buy a castle three times over to get their hands on it.

**The Origin of the Evil System**

A little known fact is when Ajuka Beelzebub created the Evil Piece system, he did not intend it become a method repopulate Devil Kind. It was actually for an entirely purpose entirely.

The original versions of the Evil Piece system was known as a King's Peerage (this is where the term 'Peerage' came from) was created during the early years of the Civil War. While like the modern version, the King's Peerage used Chess Pieces, they were not capable of resurrecting the recently deceased or even working on any other species but Devils.

The purpose of it was to gift the chosen devils more power, taken from their master, their King. It was supposed to grant power to a Lord's most trusted soldiers and warriors.

Only four sets of the King's Peerage was ever made and they were all given to the Devils who went on to become the current Maous.

After the Civil war, Ajuka realized the need to find a way to repopulate Devil kind after the heavy losses they suffered during the war. It was then that he discovered a method to transform Non-Devil species into Devils and combing that discovery with the King's Peerage system he created what will later be known as the Evil Piece system.

After its creation all the Maous trader in their King's Peerage for Evil Pieces instead.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

We'll that's it.

I exhausted myself getting all of this out so fast so I'm gonna take a few days off to rest before I burn myself out. Don't worry though I plan to update this story regularly and I already have a detailed outline for the first arc and a rough one for the second.

Thank you all so much for your support.

Please tell me what you think and thank you for reading.


	6. Chapter 6: Can you feel the burn?

**Author's Notes:**

Yes! I got my first flame which means I'm finally an official fanfic author. Actually I got more than one. I had so many review telling me you loved my last chapter and quite a few telling me you hated it. I wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or bad to have such a divided audience but since I got well over 250 new favorites and follows I decide to take it as a good thing. Though I do agree I still have room for improvements. Thank again for all of your support, it has really motivated me and given me the courage to write. (Seriously, sometimes I look at all the favorites and reviews, I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming).

**Guide book and stats:** Ok I have talked to my new Beta and he informed me that the reason why so many people are pissed about the 'Devils Guidebook' is because they were expecting another story chapter and instead got an information one. So from now on whenever I post a Guidebook chapter, not only would it be paired with a story chapter but it will be posted first, so people can just skip it right away. This way the final chapter in my stories will always be a story chapter and the readers won't be disappointed when they reach the end. From now on I'll also only attached character Stats to Guidebook chapter as well. I hope that's a fair compromise that can make everyone happy.

**Character Stats:** I plan to set up a Poll with a list of characters whose stats I will post. I will of course create ones for the main characters but I'm having trouble deciding the order I should post them in, so I'll listen to you opinion on this (I reserve the right to change the order of poll if necessary for plot reasons). And I have received some incredible PM on types of Personal skills that I can add to a Character's stats, so if any readers have any good ideas, please don't hesitate to PM me or post them in the reviews.

**Shirou:** I realized that I didn't explain Shirou thought process, and many people had trouble understanding why he acted the way he did. I'll admit I screwed up there, my bad. In my defense I was afraid that too many readers would thinking that Shirou was overreacting over Issei's death because he would be revived but it seems the opposite was true. So I spent a portion of this chapter examining Shirou's thoughts and the reason why the Devils behaved the way they did.

**Asia**: I'm glad so many of you liked her. Although a handful of people didn't like her because she was too OOC. Let me explain myself her, Cannon Asia is an unrealistic character. She was created the way she was because the author needed a character so desperate for a friend that she will cling onto the first person that showed her even the slightest hint of kindness and from that point on the only role she played in the story was an Issei fangirl/puppy. I can't write such a character because she is simply unrealistic. So instead I reimagined her as if she was a real person who grew up in a real church and was worshiped as a holy maiden (can you image what it will do to a person when people worship you as if you were the holy Mary reborn). Plus remember, Sacred Gears are not chosen by random but match their user's personality, and there is a very good reason why twilight healing chose Asia as you will see in a couple of chapters or so when I explore her past/personality.

Oh, btw I would appreciate any ideas for T-shirt Captions I can give to Asia.

**Fate/Stay Night**: I plan on writing flashbacks every few chapters and reveal Shirou's life before the coming to the DxD verse. So those of you who are wondering, don't worry I promise all will be revealed soon. And remember, my Shirou is NOT Cannon Shirou even before he turned into the Devil. His second origin due to how he was interpreted Kiritsugu's smile made sure of that. They have many similarities but their difference will become more apparent as the story goes on.

Oh, some reviews comment that Shirou acted unusually antagonistic towards Rias. Let me make clear that Shirou has been a Devil for six months now and while he had not interaction with Rias before he know Sirzechs and I think I made it clear he doesn't like him and even Shirou himself admitted he was not being completely fair with Rias (he almost acted human right? So un-cannon Shirou of him). Plus don't forget Rias herself was also antagonist towards him, Kiba warned him before he entered. Why was she? Imagine if you will that a person that stabbed your older brother with a ton of swords is standing front of you, how would you feel?

**Dress breaker: **Here is a complaint against Cannon instead of Fanfics. If Devils don't find Nudity a big deal then why does Dress Breaker work? I understand if one or two Devils are shy but everyone he used it on, even Riser's Peerage who are all obviously experienced, acted like normal shy human girls would.

**Cannon**: many people claimed that I was attempting to shoehorn the cannon plot into my story. I will say this again, this is a complete AU and nothing in Cannon is relevant here. In fact by the end of this chapter the plot will have its first major change from Cannon and within the next two or three chapters it will deviate so far away from cannon that you'll need to climb a skyscraper and use a telescope to find it. So be prepared to wave it goodbye.

**Shirou and Sirzechs fight:** I was planning on keeping this fight vague but it seems to have caused confusion among readers so I'll clear up what basically happened. Shirou didn't lose simply because Sirzechs is so much stronger than him, he lost because Shirou is still a 19 year old boy. He isn't an archer who went from battle field to battle field for who knows how many years. On the other hand Sirzechs is a veteran of a Civil war that lasted for years and an acknowledged war hero. If Sirzechs was less experienced than he was, he would have lost the moment Shirou summoned the UBW because he would have just gaped in shock at the sight and not noticed or react to the blades raining on him in time.

Shirou is not only less experienced but he was also only a few days old Devil at the time, he wasn't used to magic of the world or he's new found ability to sense it. So image how surprised he would have felt when Sirzechs revealed he's true form (which he had no idea even existed – to him it must have looked like a Volcano turning into a small sun) and he sensed magic on a level he never felt before (which would have played havoc on his new Devils senses). If he even stood still in shock for so much as second that was more than enough time for Sirzechs to flip the table on him. Remember that even after all that, Sirzechs was still wounded because the transformation into his true self did nothing to heal his wounds caused by the swords. Not to mention neither of them were allowed to kill the other so both of their most powerful weapons could not be used (All holy swords are poisonous to Devils so Shirou couldn't risk using them on what in the end was nothing more than a spar).

Archer in the same place would have done a better job because he would have simply not lost his cool or lowered his guard at any point. And Shirou is not Archer skill wise, not yet anyway.

**Canon complaint**: Here is a little complaint to the Cannon DxD. How did Raynare sneak in the Kuoh Academy (full of Devils), follow Issei around when he introduced her to everybody, then after she killed him, came back to the school and erased the memories of every student she met her as Issei's girlfriend and not get caught? Remember that by the time she went about erasing the students memories of her Rias had already resurrected Issei and was aware of Rayner's true Identity

**School**: I'm basing the school schedule on a Japanese high school schedule that I looked up which apparently has a single one hour lunch break (while I'm sure that many other schools are different I liked this one). So if you're wondering why the lunch breaks in my story last so long, that why.

**Clues**: I'm actually surprised that no one predicted what will happen in this chapter. I had left so many clues that I thought for sure that I made it far too obvious. Maybe you guys did figure it out but just didn't bother pointing it out. But let me just say that I'm the type of author that enjoys leaving clues and hints in my writing for readers to figure out what will happen. See if you can spot any other ones.

The antagonist will appear in the next chapter or two. When you finally meet him, I believe people will finally understand how far from Cannon this story is going to depart. And finally everyone will understand when I say this is a complete AU I mean a complete AU (I had over 15 PMs telling me that the plot is different from Cannon, really? What a shocker!).

Oh, and remember. I'm still a brand spanking new author of fan fiction so if I made any stupid mistakes that makes no sense in any of my chapters, I'm more than willing to rewrite it to fix it.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the story.

**Story Start**

* * *

><p>Can you feel the burn?<p>

I looked at the door to my right wistfully. Three paces, just three quick paces and I'll reach it. Then I'll be out of the house and free from whatever madness that was about to descend upon this place.

Letting out one last sigh of longing I turned my head looked and over to my left. There was Asia. She collapsed soon after flipping God off last night, so it wasn't too surprising to see her up so early even though the sun wasn't even fully out yet.

She was dressed in a long sleeved button up pajamas with matching navy blue pants. The pajamas had pictures of cartoonish little devils with horns and pitchforks printed all over them. Her hair was in a mess, having clearly just gotten out of bed and she had a mug of steaming coffee on the table in front of her.

She was also staring with wide unblinkingly eyes at the open laptop before her. And when I say unblinkingly, I meant that she hadn't blinked once in the last two minutes I was watching her. From the angle I was standing I couldn't see what was on the screen and I was honestly scared of finding out.

I was tempted, so very tempted to just walk out of here and never find out but I couldn't do it. No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't just leave Asia like that.

Giving the door one final look, I began to make my way to Asia's side.

I walked around the living room's coffee table that Asia was currently using as a desk. Instead of trying to squeeze myself between the table and the sofa that Asia was sitting on, I walk around the back of the sofa and glanced at the computer screen over Asia's shoulder. I immediately wished I hadn't.

Oh by the body of the dead God, Asia had just discovered porn.

"Shirou." She said as she looked up at me with wide frightened eyes. Her bottom lip quivered as she spoke and her voice sounded so broken and confused, as if the world had stopped making sense and she no longer knew what to believe in anymore "Shirou, what are those two girls doing to that poor cup?"

I turned and ran.

Even if Gilgamesh was waiting outside the door I would have ran to up to him with arms wide open rather than stay and deal with this madness.

* * *

><p>I took another sip of the surprisingly good cup of tea. I had no idea what kind of brand the leaves were but they tasted fantastic considering I pinched this from the Student Council's personal stock, though I doubted Sona would have minded.<p>

Despite the lights being turned off, the Student Council room was brightly lit thanks to the wide widows that filled the entire face of one wall. Even thought it was barely seven in the morning, it was already a clear and sunny day. I was seated in an out of the way corner as I waited for the rest of the Student Council to arrive.

I spent the last half hour scouting the immediate area around the school. As far as I can tell, except for the ones on their personal property, the only Bounded Fields that existed inside of what was official Devil territory were of the identifying and detecting variety.

There were over two dozen Bounded fields scattered all over the place and most of their effective ranges overlapped one another. It was a surprisingly well thought out design that would allow the owners to track down any unregistered magical presence that entered their territory with a fair degree of accuracy. With a system like that it's no surprise that they were able to track down that Fallen so easily.

It's quite clear though that whoever designed the Bounded Field system here only intended them to work on enemies that were attempting to sneak in. There was practically no defensive Fields other than the ones in their residences and the one at the old school building. Which was fairly reasonable as most defensive Bounded Fields would only been needed if you were expecting to be attacked by more powerful or more numerous enemies and the Fields strong enough to make an actual difference were incredible time consuming to maintain, especially over a large area.

I could not blame them for only setting up the ones they already had, as it would only take a couple of hours a week to maintain them when you split the work between all the Devils here. However that give me much less to work with than I would have liked.

It would take too long for me to set up enough Bounded Fields by myself to make a difference and impossible for me to maintain them all by myself if I could. Instead I'll try to convince Sona and Gremory to strengthen the defenses they already had in place at their homes and set some up over the school, as it was the place they all spent most of their time at.

Which was why I was currently waiting in the Student Council room for Sona to appear. Convincing her to set up some Bounded Fields at school shouldn't be too difficult. All I have to do is mention it as obvious security flaw in the middle of a conversation and Sona's perfectionist streak will take care of the rest. Thinking up a reason for them to strength the ones they have over their homes however a completely different matter is.

Neither Serafall nor Sirzechs wanted them to be aware of the reason I was here. Partially because they feared that Sona and the Gremory's teenage rebellious streak would cause them to fight back against what they would most likely see as their elder sibling's overprotectiveness acting out, and make it that much harder to watch over them

Partly not to worry them over what could be potentialy nothing, they were teenage kids after all. Serafall and Sirzechs had spent most of their childhood years in a time when the possibility of war was constantly looming over their head and they spent the rest of their youths in an actual war.

They wanted their sibling to experience an ordinary childhood that they never received. And if that meant making certain a Queen's life difficult by sending him to not only protect them by dealing with the possible threat but to do so in secret, well it was a price both of them are more than happy.

I would have been more upset over the whole thing if I didn't understand where they were coming from. After all I wanted the same thing for Ilya.

"-are you sure Kaichou?" a voice signaled my time of waiting was finally over, as I heard the steady beat of footsteps approach the door.

"Yes, Tsubaki. I just need a minute to deal with something alone," The door knob turned and the door was cracked open slightly, "please make sure that the repairs are done before the school day begins."

"Understood Kaichou." Tsubaki responded before I heard her turn and walk away.

The Student Council door was opened the rest of the way and in walked Sona. She didn't appear to have noticed me as she immediately shut the door behind her before leaning her back against it and shutting her eyes. The only sound that filled the room was the noise of Tsubaki's steadily receding footsteps, and when it finally faded always the place was plunged into silence.

I was just about call out to Sona and make my presence known when something happened that gave me pause.

Sona, from where she was still leaning against the door, began to snicker. It started out as a low quite thing that could barely be heard but it quickly grew. It soon reached the point where Sona could no longer restrain herself and she just gave in, threw her head back and just laughed.

Her manic laughter echoed off the walls of the Council room while I just stared at her in bemusement, not quite sure what was happening or what to do. After this went on for what felt like a full minute before she finally began mixing up her laughter with words.

"HAHAHAHA, Burn~~~r Rias, BURN! YES! YES! YES! AHAHAHAHA," She said before she began to hip trust. I had to rub my to make sure I wasn't seeing things but yes, Sona Sitri, who was perhaps one of the most uptight person I knew was hip trusting while interjecting between each thrust a yell of "Burn!-Burn!-Burn!"

I looked down at my tea and checked it for drugs with my magic but it came back negative. I checked it again but when the results stayed the same I gave up trying to deny reality and just looked back up and gaped.

"Can you feel it Rias? Can you feel the bur~~n? I-Said-Can-You-Feel-it?" It was at this exact moment, right in the middle of a hip thrust, that Sona spotted me sitting in the corner. She stopped, immobilized in place, as her eyes widened and her face going pale as she stared at me with a perfect 'deer in the headlights' look.

Unfortunately for her she froze in the last position she held, which was in the middle of hip thrust. Which meant that she had her arms behind her with elbows bent and her groin was shoved forward towards a spot on the wall a little bit over to my right.

For what felt like an hour we just stared at each other, neither one of us quite sure what to say, before I felt a large shit-eating grin made it's onto my face.

"Oh don't mind me." I said calmly as I sat back into my chair and crossed my legs before I waved at her to continue, "Carry on, this looks important. I'll wait." I deliberately lifted my cup to my lips and took a long sip as I watched her, doing my very best not to break out laughing.

She just gaped at me, so shocked that her face had turned pale white before her embarrassment kicked in and she began to flush a crimson red.

"I-I-I…this isn't…I mean…don't think that…ah," She began to stammer nonsensically at me as her mind tried and failed to work out something to say.

Deciding to take pity at her I just raised a hand and motioned her to stop. "Don't bother explaining, I'm already used to it. You won't believe the amount of times I caught your sister doing the exact same thing." I told her, "Although with her she keeps telling Gabriel to burn instead of Rias. Oh by the way," I nodded towards her, "You may want to stop holding that pose now."

Sona looked down and her face, that was slowly begin to return to its normal colour, flushed red again when she noticed that she was still in the hip thrust position and quickly straightens herself out.

I gave a few more seconds to collect herself before I asked "So, what happened? It must have been something big for you to act so excited this early in the morning, and what does it have to with Gremory?"

By this time Sona had that strict librarian persona back firmly in place, only the slight dusting of her checks gave away any signs of emotion. But let's be honest, after seeing her behave like that I'm never going to fall for her strict act again.

She gave a single cough into her fist before speaking, "Yes actually, I just received some rather startling news." She made her way towards the table that held coffee and tea supplies. "And it would be more accurate to say 'someone' happened rather than something."

"Oh," feeling my interest peak despite myself, "and who is this someone?"

"Hyoudou Issei."

Just like that my mood plummeted. Ever since I had left that meeting with the Gremory, I've been trying to keep my thoughts off that name as I best I could. It was no use, no matter how much I threw myself into my work or tried distract myself with Asia's antics, that name kept coming back to haunt me. It reached the point where I just gave up trying to sleep and decided to get some extra work done instead. That was actually the reason why I was up so early.

In my head I went over all the different things I could have done, all the possible consequences and scenarios that would result in my actions. And each time I ran the numbers I found that I could have done nothing.

Even if you ignore all outside matters like my mission and Serafall, there was still no good option. Had I ran out of the club room and tried to track Issei down I wouldn't have been able to find him. I wasn't stupid and I knew that the Gremory wasn't either. I do not know for sure if she meant to set up the meeting at that time or if she just got lucky, but I had no doubt that she took advantage of the fact.

Issei was supposed to be having his date with the Fallen at this very day. Considering how early the sun sets at this time of year and the Japanese student curfew laws, it probably meant that they went out on the date right after school. That I couldn't sense a single familiar the entire time I was there just confirmed my suspicions. They were probably sent to scout the two and summon their masters once it was time.

This city may not have been the biggest one around but it still had well over half a million people living in it, not to mention I still was unfamiliar with the area. The odds of me finding him in time were slim to none. Since the date was taking place outside of Devil territory I couldn't even use the Bounded Fields to help me find them, not that I would have even been able to do so as I wasn't registered to use them.

Even if I got to Issei in time, then what?

Tell him that his girlfriend is trying to kill him? What are the odds of him believing me? Fallen Angels are known as the most charming and manipulative of the three races for a reason. All she had to do was shed a few crocodile tears and Issei would think of me as someone that was harassing his girlfriend.

The best I could do it wait for her to try to kill him then save him. Which in the worst case scenarios could have led to a fight between me and the Fallen, plus whatever comrades she may have with her right in the middle of a populated area. Best case scenario I rescues Issei without a serious fight but what should I do with him afterwards?

Rias had already said that she wouldn't take Issei into her Peerage without a better hold over him and his loyalty. That however wasn't entirely true; it would be more accurate to say that she couldn't recruit him without more proof of his obedience. After the Valantime incident Reincarnated Devils who were Longinus users and their masters were banned from entering the underworld unless special permission was given from all the major governing bodies.

While they couldn't prevent a Devil from reincarnating a Longinus user, all Devils have the right to reincarnate whoever they wished, they could keep them out. After what happened when the first and only Longinus user was reincarnated, they had no trouble enacting the law as they had the full support of the entire Underworld. Which is why she went to them for permission for this plan instead of acting it out on her own.

If I had saved Issei there was a distinct possibility that Rias may not want him in her Peerage anymore. She said it herself; until she reincarnated him he was just any ordinary human to her, there was no guarantee that she would be willing to stick her neck out for him.

I couldn't reincarnate him either. He was already claimed by Rias and that claim was recognized by both the Elder Council and Sirzechs. I had no idea what would happened if I did try to add him to my peerage but it wouldn't have been pretty. I would have been charged with theft from a Clan Heir and imprisoned at a minimum.

If I couldn't make him a part of my Peerage then there was no way I can protect Issei, not for long anyway. The Fallen Angels have already marked him for dead, they would be forced to leave him be if he was a Devil but as a human he was more or less free game. Not to mention how many other groups will be after him once they realized he was the wielder of the Boosted Gear. By the end of a month he would be just as dead if I had simply left him to the Fallen.

That's not even taking into account Vali finding out about him and hunting him down.

And that was ignoring the political consequences of it. I was the Maou's Queen; if I had attempted to save Issei from Rias it would have appeared that the Leviathan was attempting to steal a Longinus user from the Lucifer's sister. I did not even want to think the mess that would make. Political turmoil would have been putting it lightly.

That's not mentioning the purpose of my mission here. The enemies of the three factions, or at the least enemies of the current ceasefire between them, are beginning to move. The odds of war coming is rising with each passing day and me acting would only make Devil Faction more unstable than it already is, weakening it even more for the upcoming war. There was also the fact that I couldn't protect Sona and Gremory from _him_ if I couldn't work with them. Intervening with Issei would throw any hope of that happening away.

Then there was Ilya.

I'm not sure what would happen to her if I was drawn in to this whole mess. As long as I remind in good standing in the Devil community no one would dare touch her. However if I made myself an enemy of the Gremorys and the Elder Council, then I had no idea what would happen to her. I knew Serafall would do her best to protect her no matter what but there was even a limit even to what she can do. That she needed my help to protect her own sister was proof of that.

I saw Ilya die.

I saw the moment her final breath left her body. I felt her once warm face go cold beneath my hands. I heard her heartbeat slow beat by painful beat until it went silent in her chest. I listened as she said her final goodbye, whisper her final I love you. Then she died.

Even when I had lost Saber, it didn't hurt this much. Not even when Kiritsugu died, I didn't cry so much.

But now she was alive, truly alive. Not like how she used to be. Back then, though I did not realize it, the smiles she used to give me were never carefree ones. It was a smile of someone who knew her time was limited and didn't want to waste a single moment of it. So while the joy they held was no lie, it felt as if she was desperately collecting each and every smile as if they were treasures to be horded. Because if she missed even a single one, she would never find another chance to replace the one she lost.

It wasn't until I saw her give me her first genuine smile did I noticed how different they were.

Her smiles now were carefree ones, a smile of someone who has a lifetime to live and knows it. When she found out that she was going to live, that she no longer had to have the fear of death constants hanging over her, she broken down for the first time since I met her. Somehow sobbing and laughing at the same time.

I saw Ilya die once; I will not let that happen again. Not now, not after she went through so much and only had finally begun to live her life. To protect her life and her happiness I will do almost anything.

To save that smile, I had to sit back and watch a boy die.

Sometimes I really hated myself.

"It's really bothering you, isn't it?" a voice jolted me out of my thoughts.

I looked up to find Sona seated in a chair that she had pulled up next to me. She was watching me with worried eyes over the frames of her glasses.

I gave her wane smile, "Is it that obvious?"

"Yes," she immediately replied, "but that's only because you were lost in thought. You're a trained liar Shirou, not a natural one.

"There is a difference?"

"A trained liar is obviously one who had to learn how to lie. If they were taught well enough, they can lie through their teeth and you wouldn't be able to tell. However if you wait until they think alone, they tend to drop the act and reveal what their thinking in their face. And you Shirou had your feelings written all over yours."

I let out a tired sigh as I felt the stress of the situation catch up with me. I looked up at the ceiling and said, "It's just that…" I drifted off as I couldn't think of what to say.

"If it helps," Sona spoke up after seeing I wasn't going to continue, "I personally thought the entire thing was a stupid idea."

"You do?"

"It's far too risky." She answered to with a nod, "Leaving the question of ethics out of it, the plan is flawed in a fundamental level. There are too many variables, to many forces in play that are beyond Rias's control to justify the risk. Even if everything goes according to plan, which is unlikely, there still leaves the issue of what would happen if Issei ever found out that Rias left him to die. No matter how close he becomes to the rest of the Peerage by that time I doubt it would end up pleasant. If it were me I would have handled the situation in a completely different manner."

"How would you have done it then?"

"Simple, I would have recruited him into the Student Council. It wouldn't have been too hard to convince him seeing most of our members are girls, and I would have forced him to behave by threating to expel him. Considering how many rules he broke over the year by peeping at all the girls," a distasteful frown crossed her face as she said this, though whether it was at the peeping or rule breaking was anyone's guess, "it would have been easy to persuade him it was well within my power to expel him not from this school but every other school in the country. That I actually do have enough genuine reasons to justify expelling just made it easier. Rias is the only reason why he hasn't already been expelled.

"I would have observed him for a period of six months or so while keeping our identity as Devils as a secret. During that time I would judge him to see if he could be safely integrated into my Peerage. It would all depend of course on how well he got along with the rest of the Council and how the strong the bonds between them are.

"If he failed I would have simply kicked him out, Boosted gear or no Boosted gear. No matter how great the prize it is not worth recklessly risking the lives of my Peerage over, particularly when it involves something as dangerous as an out of control Dragon. If on the other hand he had passed, then I would have informed him about Devils, bribed him with knowledge that Devils can legally obtain harems, then spent the rest of the year whipping his weak body into shape using the promise of sending him to one of the Underworlds many brothels as a reward.

"All in all it will be a long-term investment with a low-risk and high-return. In other words, my preferred method of operating."

"If it was that easy why hasn't Gremory done the same?" I asked.

She grimaced at that, "You have to understand Shirou, Rias has always been lucky when it comes to her Peerage, and I mean insanely so. I would have understood it if she had done some work and had spent time and effort looking for Peerage but she never had to. It was as if the hand of some god guided them to her.

"Each and every one of her Peerage just seemed to fall onto her lap with her barely having to lift a finger. To make matter even more unbelievable, every one of them either has a powerful Sacred Gears or a powerful bloodline."

She started to count them off, lifting a finger for each example, "Kiba has the Sacred Gear Sword Rebirth, Koneko is a Nekoshou, Akeno has the blood of a powerful Fallen Angel as well as that of the Himejima Clan and then there is Gasper a Dhamphir with rare ability Daywalker and the Sacred Gear that is one step short from being a Longinus, the Forbidden Balor View.

"Rias has never actually had to work at convening any one of them to join her. Half of them were either dead or dying when she found them and the other half had no place to return to and were more or less homeless orphans. So she ended up making them into her peerage the very day she met them.

"The reason why she's so stumped with Issei is because she has no idea how to go about recruiting him. It wouldn't surprise me if she spent the better part of the year waiting for a perfect moment to jump in and rescue him." She shrugged at the way I stared at her, "Now don't give me that look. It may sound foolish to us but to Rias, she simply knows no other way. It probably never even occurred to her to simply approach him and try to become friends first."

"Plus Rias is very much aware of her luck, so she probably expected it to kick in some way and give her some opportunity to rescue then recruit him like she usually does. Then what happens? lo and behold, a Fallen Angel appears threatening Issei and now she has the perfect chance to swoop in and rescue him." She shook her head at disbelief at the situation.

"Then why doesn't she save him just before he dies, she can still become the _hero," _I didn't even bother hiding my sarcasm as I spoke that word, "that she wants to be that way and still get to recruit Issei."

"You already know the answer to that question Shirou." She was right, I did.

"The Elder Council." I answered which she nodded in agreement.

"Right after the Valantime incident, no one can bring a Longinus user into the Underworld without both their and a Maou's explicit permission. Rias is unwilling to cross them, not when she has been trying to gather as much political support she can muster to get out of marriage with Riser. If she tries to recruit Issei without their permission she will lose whatever influence she has gathered over the last few years. As you can see it's a completely convoluted mess."

"Then what I don't get is why the Council and Sirzechs are even approving the plan to begin with. Don't they realize what would happen if Issei ever figures all this out? There would hell to pay."

Sona let out a sigh and put down her almost untouched mug, "The Elder Council Shirou, as their name implies, are old. Despite not being a part of the Old Devil Faction they were grown and raised under there rule. Consequently they have many outdated views of the world.

"Now as far as I can tell, there are two reasons why they approved the plan. The first is that they do not believe that Issei will ever discover that he's been tricked. That even if Rias or a member of her Peerage slip up in some way he will not be smart enough to put the pieces together."

"That has to be the most ridicules thing I've ever heard!" I exclaimed, "They can't be so stupid as to believe that he will never figure things out."

"No, Shirou the Council may be many things but they aren't stupid by any means. Stubborn and old fashioned yes, but never make the blunder of underestimating them and calling them stupid. That would be a mistake, one they won't let you live long enough to learn from.

"The Elder Council is a viper den and despite the civilized appearance the Council tries to project, is as bloody and deadly as any battlefield. Every member is as vicious as they come and none of them would have survived there for long if they were in anyway stupid. They may not match the Maous in strength but in cunning they are more than equal. Every single one of the Maous are wary when dealing with them…well, except for my sister but that's because they're horrified of her after she somehow, during the course of a single two-hour meeting, was able to convince three among their eldest members to become Magic Girl fanatics.

"From what I heard one of them, an old man with a beard that reaches down to his toes, had begun carrying around a pink wand and now winks whenever he introduces himself or casts a spell."

…That is the women who I had sold my soul to.

"Returning back to the topic of discussion, the reason why they believe Issei will never figure it out is because they think that humans are little more than stupid semi-intelligent animals and I can't blame them for thinking so." Sona quickly raised a hand to forestall my response and continued to speak. "Remember Shirou that these people are _old._ When they were our age most of Europe was too afraid to take a bath because they believed too much water would make them sick and eventually kill them. They grew up around humans that would bleed themselves out with leaches because they believed having too much blood was unhealthy or they would whip themselves in the back because they thought that it would make them closer to god. And that only applies to the _youngest_ members of the Council, who know how humans behaved when the oldest members were teens.

"That is the kind of humans they grew up with and it is also the image they have of them inside of their minds. While intellectually they know that is no longer the case, emotionally the still believe humans to be little more than intelligent apes. I also discovered that they have received reports on Issei, and well, let's just say it didn't do much to dissuade that impression."

I thought back to my first meeting of the Perverted Trio and the memory of them running away while being chased by the Kendo team…I had to admit put it that way and I couldn't completely blame them for thinking Issei would be an idiot.

"I have talked to Issei before and he's not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed so I doubt he'd figure it out at first, but given enough time even he will eventually put it all together.

"Now comes the second reason." Sona took a moment to adjust her glasses before carrying on, "They didn't want to give him an opportunity to refuse."

I just stared at her for a second before face palming, "…What?"

"Think about it, Issei is the wielder of the Booster Gear. While they may not like it, it makes him a serious threat to them. Worse, in their mind, he could become a weapon to be used against them if any of the other faction or even other pantheons got a hold of him."

"And seeing as how the Fallen had already discovered him, they were afraid that the others would soon follow." I finished for her. It made sense, the fallen had already gotten hold of Divine Dividing and the Angels had the Zenith Tempest. Now they find out that they all the while had been sitting on hands concerning the Boosted Gear issue the Fallen had come closing in. If the Elder Council was as ruthless as Sona implied it only makes sense that when pushed they'd be willing to do whatever it takes to get absolute control over the Boosted Gear.

"Then what about Sirzechs, why did he agree with this madness?"

"Shirou, Sirzechs a monster." She looked me dead in the eye as she said this. "He's a likeable monster, one with a heart but that doesn't make him any less of one. Don't forget Shirou that Sirzechs is the Maou, not just _a_ Maou, but the only one that really matters. No matter how much you sugarcoat it, when people think about the leader of the Devils they don't think of Ajuka, Falbium or my sister. They think of Sirzechs.

"You don't get that kind of power or recognition by asking nicely. Sirzechs is the one true Lord of Devils because is he the best of us. Not just in power but in charisma, cunning and ruthlessness. He fought his way to the top leaving battlefields full of corpses in his wake and was able to hold his position unopposed for two hundred years.

"And I guarantee you, whatever reasons he appears to have for supporting this plan, they are completely different than his real reason. In many ways he and my sister think alike. They always have plans within plans and you can never tell what they're truly thinking."

"That much at least we agree on," I told her while feeling mildly relived that someone else shared my opinion on Sirzechs, "Still even after hearing all their reason doesn't make me feel any better about the situation."

At my words, a smile began to grow on Sona's face. "Well, if you're still upset about how Rias handled Issei then you'll love this news."

I cocked an eyebrow at that, "Does it have anything to do why you were in such a good mood when you came in and why you wanted Gremory to 'feel the burn'?''

Though she faintly blushed at that her smile didn't diminish at the slightest, "You have to understand that while Rias is one of my dearest friends and that I truly love her, she has been driving me insane over the last week.

"She took every opportunity to rub it in my face that she was about to get a Longinus user in her Peerage. How even though I searched the school from top to bottom for Peerage members three times over, I ended up missing the wielder of the Boosted Gear and how she didn't. Or how wrong I was for wanting to expel the Perverted Trio and how she was right for wanting them to stay." Sona reached out with her hands and held them before her as if was about to throttle something. "It reached the point where I just wanted to strangle that pretty throat of hers." Her smile looked more than a little bit strained as she said that. It was actually starting to get scary to look at.

"But then," her smile did a 180 and became far more genuine, "I heard the most wonderful news before I arrived. I just ran into Kiba on his way to his morning training and I found out what happened to Issei."

"What?" I asked, more than little worried for the kid. "Did something go wrong? They didn't fail to resurrect him did they?

"Oh no no no," Sona's smile grew into a wide Cheshire smile, one that made her remarkably like Serafall moments before a prank, "nothing went wrong. Quite the opposite as a matter of fact. Everything went according to plan down to the letter. The Fallen killed Issei, Rias popped in the last second and successfully resurrected him into a pawn just as she wanted."

"I don't see why you so happy about it." Though I was relieved that Issei was fine at least, I was still didn't like how things played out.

Sona's 'Serafall smile' was still firmly in place though, and she continued, "Ah, but I didn't tell you the best part yet. It seems that the shock and pain of his injuries has caused Issei to waken his Sacred Gear before he died."

"He awakened the Boosted gear?"

"No."

"No?" I repeated dumbly, "What do you mean no? You just said he had awakened his Sacred Gear"

"Yes, he did awaken his Sacred Gear." Her smile, if possible grew even wider as her glasses seemed to flash in the sunlight. "It just happened to be however, that the Sacred Gear he awakened wasn't the Booster Gear." She paused, clearly trying to draw out the moment before she carried on, "It was Twice Critical instead."

I took me the better part of five second to process what she said but when I finally did I dragged my jaw off the floor and murmured out in disbelief, "No way." Then more loudly, "Are you sure it's Twice Critical? It could be an incomplete awakening. While rare it does happen sometimes."

She held up a single finger, "One pawn piece," the vindictive glee in her voice was unmistakable, "Rias suspected the same thing and when she tried to revive him with all of her pawns, she ended up needing only one to make it work."

I gaped. I was so flabbergasted that I couldn't do anything but let my jaw fall open and gap at her.

Sona let out a cackle, an honest to Satan witch's cackle, at my reaction before speaking, "One pawn piece, one measly pawn Shirou. It wasn't even a mutated one, but a completely regular pawn. That's even worse because Twice Critical should automatically double a person's value, which means Issei's base stats isn't even valued at half a pawn – well screw you my rival, now you can finally feel the _burn._

"Oh Rias rubbed it in my face that she was getting a Longinus for so long, making me burn with envy and self-rage at how I could have missed it, only for it to turn into Twice Critical. Worse, she ended up with one of the Perverted Trio in her peerage." Sona threw her hands wide open in joy.

"I'm so happy with that boy I'm not expelling the other two. They'll be a reminder of this day, and every time I'm in a bad mood I'll just look at them, think of this moment and laugh." Which she then proceeded to do just that.

I couldn't help it, I broke down laughing and joined her.

Truth be told, I was planning on finding a way to get back at the Gremory for what she did to poor Issei but it looks like I didn't have to. Issei ended up doing it all by himself. And this is by far worse than anything I could have done to the Gremory. Oh what I would pay to see the look on the Elder Council's faces when she has to go up to them and announce that the Boosted Gear that she claimed to have found ended up being nothing more than Twice Critical. That she wasted the entire Elders Council time on what was nothing but a wild goose chase. She was never going to live this down.

God may be dead, but Divine Justice is alive and kicking after all.

The best part is, she may have actually ended up saving Issei's life after all. If she had approached him in the first place and discovered that Issei didn't have the Boosted Gear but Twice Critical instead, she would never have bothered to recruit him. This meant that if the Fallen Angels made the same mistake of believing he carried the Boosted Gear, there would have been no one there to resurrect him when they killed him. But now that he's part of the Gremory's Peerage he's safe.

To top it off, her Gremory Greed would not allow her to surrender Issei no matter what. Even if she wouldn't have wanted him in the first place when it comes to their Peerage, Gremorys can resemble a Dragon hording its gold. It doesn't matter whether they even want the gold or not or even if they have nothing to spend all they gold on, they will not let so much as a single coin go without a fight. Their Greed would demand nothing less.

After out laughter finally began to taper off, Sona resumed talking.

"Now don't get me wrong Shirou, I love Rias I really do but sometimes it seems like she keeps getting all the luck when it comes to Peerage members. That for once, just once, her luck has forsaken her has finally made things fair.

"This might make me a bad friend but at this moment there is nothing more than I want to do than hire that American fellow, that actor Ashton something. Then I'll fly him all the way here and make him break into the Occult Clubroom and yell 'BURN!' right in her face before just turning around and leaving. The look on her face will make it worth the cost."

Shaking my head in amusement, I said, "I know I keep saying this but despite outwards appearances, you and your sister are exactly alike in every way that matters."

She looked oddly pleased with that before shrugging and adjusting her glasses, "We are sisters after all."

Before I had a chance to response we were interrupted by the Council room's door opening.

"Kaichou, we have a slight problem. The repair man for the-oh", Tsubaki stopped speaking when she caught sight of me, "I'm sorry Kaichou, I didn't know you were entertaining guests."

"Its fine Tsubaki," I waved it off, "we weren't talking about anything important anyway. Besides you're going to probably start seeing me a lot around him from now on, might as well start getting used to me."

Tsubaki looked towards Sona for confirmation and seeing her nod, continued with what she was originally planning to say, "Kaichou, the repairman for the second floor's electric problem is going to arrive here at nine at the earliest. I'm afraid that we won't be able to restore power to that floor in time for morning classes."

"What about the Academy's Handyman?"

"He looked at it but it seems whatever the problem is it's beyond his capability to fix."

Sona let out a frustrated sight before continuing, "Looks like we have no choice then, we'll just have to relocate the classes for the day. We can split them up between the spares classrooms in the first and third floor for the time-"

"Actually," I interrupted her, "if you're having a repair problem, I might just be able to help with that"

I did my best to restrain my eager smile as they both gave me confused looks.

* * *

><p>I, Sona Sitri, have seen and experienced many strange and unusual things in my short life. Having lived with my sister for most of my childhood has assured that. But even to me, this is new.<p>

"That right there is your problem." Shirou's voice echoed out of large power box that was responsible for the school power supply. He had most of his upper body leaning inside and all that I could see of him were his legs.

At this moment I am in the presence of one of the most powerful existence on the continent, an Ultimate-Class Devil, a Queen of a Maou's Peerage no less, a being capable of tearing down entire mountains ranges and bring ruin to cities, and what do I do with him? I turn him into my school's handy man, what basically amounts to a little more than a Janitor.

"There is a large batch of wires that were completely burned out."

I'm not sure what made it worse; that he _liked_ doing this kind of work or that he was actually good at it.

"If I use my magic, I can make some emergency repairs. It'll only be a patch job but it will last until the electrician fixes it."

When did my life become so messed up? Ah that's right, ever since I became my sister's sister. I was doomed from the very start.

"Is that fine by you Sona?"

"Yes, that will be fine Shirou." I replied while pinching the bridge of my nose.

Then again, Grayfia seemed to love working as a maid so maybe it was the position that just drives people crazy. Or perhaps it was a consequence of becoming powerful, a price that every strong Devil has to pay.

Does that mean that there exists the possibility that I may end up going crazy one day as well?

"Tsubaki." I called out to my Queen.

"Yes Kaichou?"

"If I ever end up regularly wearing a Magical Girl costume and start using a pink wand to cast spells of my own free will, promise me you'll kill me." I told her solemnly, "Trust me, it will be a mercy killing."

She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder and gave me an understanding look, "I promise Kaichou."

I wonder if it was a sign of my coming insanity that I felt reassured by that.

* * *

><p>The endless droning of the teacher reverberated through the classroom as I stared out the window, not paying any attention to the lesson.<p>

Turns out that Sona had a point when she told me I was ready for graduation, as I already knew most of what was being taught. It was the same for almost all of my classes. Though most of the teachers here were pretty good at their job, much better than my old school, even they can't make listening to facts that I already knew entertaining.

Thankfully I didn't share this class with Sona or any of Peerage members or else I'd probably be getting an earful for slacking off. As I sat there waiting for class to end, my mind came to wonder towards a mystery that had been plaguing me since I had that little chat with Sona. The Boosted Gear.

If Hyoudou Issei doesn't have it than who does?

Koneko claimed to have smelled the scent of a Dragon on Issei. No, to be more precise she said that the smell originated from him. Twice Critical, despite being a Dragon type sacred gear, is simply not strong enough to generate a powerful enough scent for her to notice when it's dormant, even when awakened the smell would be too weak to be notice unless she was standing next to it. There is no way it could leave a Dragon's scent all over school grounds.

That raises the question of how was it possible for Issei to have the scent of a Dragon. For that to happen Issei must have held the Boosted Gear at one point but if it had been removed he would be dead. No two ways about it, the process of removing a Sacred Gear removes the tethers the Soul has to the body.

Yet no matter how many ways I cut it, I can't think of anything other than the removal of the Boosted Gear that could explain the scent but Issei is clearly not dead. We'll at least he wasn't dead until the Fallen killed him but he had that scent well before then.

Magic has proven that a soul is attached to the body of an embryo with the first beat of its heart and the Sacred Gear alongside it. This makes the Sacred Gear tied so closely to its wielders life that it becomes impossible for the wielder to survive without it.

Yet somehow Issei shows signs of bearing a Sacred Gear that he clearly does not have.

I would have continued this line of thought if the sound of tapping hadn't caught my attention. Looking down towards my left, I found the source of the noise. There was a small crow standing on the ledge of the window and it was pecking against the glass to catch my attention.

While I didn't remember his name I did recognized the bird. It was familiar, one that belonged to one of the Devils that were assigned to guarding the border of the City. This particular breed of crows was popular among certain groups of Devils.

Though they had very little magic in them, leaving them incapable of transforming or casting proper spells, they were highly intelligent creatures capable of understanding and obeying complexes commands. Most importantly though their lack of magic made them incredibly difficult to detect allowing them to sneak past regular Bounded Fields, those geared towards sensing the presence of supernatural beings, with remarkable ease. It made them ideal scouts and spies.

Acting as inconspicuously as I could, I cracked open the window and slipped my hand through to take the small folded piece of paper it held in its beak. Its job now complete the crow didn't bother to stick around, as after a single flutter of its wings it took off.

After carefully looking around to make sure no one notice, I shut the window and began to read the note. A small voice in my head, one that sounded suspiciously like archer, sarcastically commented about the astonishing amount of effort I was going through for what basically amounts to sneaking around a couple of school girls to make sure they don't discover the existence of their secret guards.

I ignored the voice and focused on the letter instead, even if I did agree with it.

I read it once, read it again to make sure I didn't misunderstand anything then leapt straight out of my seat and made my way out of the classroom as fast as I could.

"Emiya-san what are you-" The rest of the teacher's question was cut off after I shut the door to behind me. There was going to be hell to pay later on but that can wait. Right now I had to hurry.

Something big was happening in Fallen territory.

* * *

><p>The church was of an old fashion Victorian architectural design, something that felt entirely out of place in a modern Japanese city. It was built from solid grey stone, with large beautify crafted stained windows lining its wall. The small forest of trees that surrounded it gave the impression that church fell out of some Medieval European fairytale.<p>

The impression however was completely ruined by the McDonald and adult video store that was located across the street from it.

The church was built in the early half of the 20th century, soon after the end of Second World War. It was created in hopes of spreading Christianity in Japan. Unfortunately for this particular church, the citizens of this city had very little interest in religion and the church was soon abandoned due exceedingly low attendance.

That was one of the primary reasons why Serafall and Sirzechs had allowed their siblings to attend this city in particular. The lack of any real presence from the Vatican in this city made it an ideal location as it meant that they didn't have to worry about any Priests or Exorcist harming them.

After the church had been abandoned it was soon taken over by the Fallen and had been turned their primary base of operations in this city. That only made the lack of any presence in the place even more disturbing.

I scrutinized the church from where I stood, perched on top of one of the trees that surrounded the building and marked the beginning of Fallen territory. Reinforcing my already Devil enhanced eyes to the limit, I carefully scrutinized every inch of the structure that I could see.

The message I received stated that the Bounded Field that protected the church had fallen. Not due to lack of power or maintenance but was forcefully brought down by someone. One of the many familiars that the guards have spread out across the city had sensed it. And since they couldn't investigate it themselves without risking their cover being blown they asked me to instead.

Which is what I have been doing for the better part of the last half hour. I couldn't just walk into Fallen territory, not without risking an incident. The best I could do was watch them from the border between their land and neutral ground. But what I've seen so far has gotten me worried, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say what I wasn't seeing.

The place looked empty.

I raised out an arm for the familiar to perch on as soon I heard it approached. When I felt the familiar weight of the bird land onto my arm I turned my sights towards it. Just like one that delivered me the message it was a crow but this time it was one I recognized. It was Ingrid, a familiar that belonged to the head of the guards' station here and my primary source of communication with them.

She looked pretty much like any of the other crows, expect of a single blue feather that grew just above her right eye. Whether that was her natural coloring or something that was artificially done, I never bothered asking.

"Did you notice anyone?" I asked her. I had sent her ahead to see if she could spot any signs of life in the church. She may not have been able to enter the place but with Bounded Fields down she can get close enough to listen in.

She gave me a quick shake of her head as an answer. I frowned in thought at that. It made no sense, why would the Fallen leave the church unprotected by either magic or guards. I suspected it to be a trap for a moment before dismissing the thought as ludicrous. Not only do the Fallen here lack the firepower to fight even half the Devils in the city they also have no reason to try to bait us into their territory.

There was something very wrong here. Unfortunately it looked like it was my job to find out what that something is.

I tossed Ingrid back into the air before leaping off the tree and landing on the ground below with a slight crouch. Even now after all these months I marveled at the strength of my body, at my lack of needing to reinforce myself to survive the fall. When I was still human it was improbable for me to make a jump like this and emerged completely unscathed, even if I had reinforced my body to the limit. Now though, it felt like skipping a step when climbing down the stairs.

It was at moments like this I begin to understand why some Pure-Blooded Devils look down on humans. They were born with bodies like this one, bodies capable of shattering stone and bending steel with their bare hands without any training. To them, what must a human look like? A creature that they can shatter by accident simply by shaking their hands too quickly.

I stood out from my crouch and silently made my way towards the church, reinforcing my ears as I did so. As a precaution I traced the married twin swords, Kanshou and Bakuya, into my hands. Unlike Archer, these were not my go to weapon of choice. Archer primarily favored them above all others was due to their fast tracing time and relatively low Prana cost. With my current body neither tracing time nor Prana cost were an issue.

Despite my ability to copy the skills of previous wielders, I still had some trouble dual-wielding weapons compared to simply using a single blade. It doesn't matter if you have the skill but lack the mental awareness of the situation around you. When wielding two weapons you have to constantly be aware where the other blade was, if at any time your concentration slips you're just as likely to end up cutting yourself as you are the enemy. In an actual fight it was worse because you had to pay attention to your enemy and your surroundings in addition to both your blades. And while I was quite good at wielding them, and constantly getting better, I was still more comfortable wielding a single blade then two.

Not to mention Archer's suicidal style of fighting with them was simply insane. If push comes to shove, I will not hesitate to use it especially against a superior opponent that I simply am unable to beat without putting my life on the line. But if I have other options available to me I see no need to recklessly gamble my life. Sometimes when I looked at these blades I can't help but wonder if Archer, for all of his talk of saving people, was simply hoping to die.

In spite of their low ranks Kanshou and Bakuya were incredibly useful blades when they were paired. When I held both of them together they cause my magical resistance and physical resistance to improve. Considering that I was about to enter the heart of enemy territory with no idea what to expect, I wanted all the protection I could muster.

It didn't take me long to make my way out of the forest and into the clearing that lead to the church's entrance. The great wooden doors of the building loomed before me, it had interact patterns carved into the wood and each door had a steel cross hanging on the front.

I slowly approached the door, keeping my guard up and ears reinforced for any approaching danger. Yet nothing came. Even as I stood close enough to the door to touch it, I neither heard nor sensed anything approaching me. I began to concentrate on my still maturing Devil ability to sense magic and when I couldn't find any traces of magic or magical creatures in the area I decided to enter the church.

Careful to avoid touching the crosses, I grabbed onto the door handle and pulled them open. They swung open on surprisingly well-oiled hinges revealing the gloomily interior of the church's sanctuary that hide behind them.

In the first few days I had been reborn into a Devil, I had been repeatedly warned about the dangers of ever entering a church. Even if you disregard all of the crosses and holy water that could be found within them, the interior of a church is exceedingly dangerous for Devil. As a divine place that is recognized by God as his home, any Devils who enters would be weakened by the Holiness of the place as long as they remained within its hallowed halls. How much they are weakened would depend on the 'purity' of the church itself.

Entering something like Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City would significantly weaken even a Maou and completely vaporize Low-Class Devils. A small church will be less potent but will still have a notable effect even on powerful Devils. So when I took my first step past the threshold I braced in myself in anticipation of….nothing apparently? Huh, did the place lose its effect when it was taken over by the Fallen? Doesn't matter I wasn't about to question my good fortune, that was rare enough as it is.

Walking from the bright sunny day outside into the dark and dim interior would have left a human's eyes blinded for several seconds until they adjusted to the lack of light. As a Devil my eyes needed no time to adjust, quite the opposite in fact. The instant I walked into the gloom my nocturnal eyes began to see far more clearly than it did compared to the world under the sun.

I had barely set a single foot into the place before I found the Fallen.

I froze in my tracks the moment I caught sight of them and quickly brought my blades up, quickly scanning the room for any signs of an attack. My eyes began darting from cover to cover, while my ears strained to catch even the slightest noise of a hidden ambusher. However after an entire minute had passed and the end of the second one was quickly approaching, I concluded that no attack was coming.

Giving one final look all around me, I began to carefully make my way deeper into the interior of the church. The place had no source of light except for the small amount of sunlight that streamed through the stained glass windows, coating the floor on either side of me with beautiful colored drawings of saints and angels. They however did little to illuminate the place.

Finally reaching the end of the hall I stood before the altar and looked up at the wall behind it, where the crucified corpses of the Fallen Angels hung from.

Nailed into the church's wall by their wrists and ankles with crude Iron nails, were four Fallen Angels. Three females and one male, which accounts for all the Fallen that were supposed to be station in the city. I even recognized one of the females, Yuma, Issei's supposed girlfriend and murderer.

Their upper body was left bare and they each had a large gaping hole piercing the middle of their chest, easily as wide as a fist. Around the holes, written in what appeared to be their own blood, were the words: BETRAYERS TO GOD'S WILL

There was no need to examine them to make sure if they were dead. Their open eyes were empty, void of any of signs of life and I could actually see the wall that they were hanging from through the hole in their body. And while I could be wrong, going by the lack of blood dripping down the wall, it looked like they were killed well before they were crucified.

I spun in place once again and examined every corner of the room to make sure that there was no one else in the room with me. While I was fairly sure that there was no one left alive in the building other than myself, I wasn't going to take any chances. I'm going have to search this place top to bottom.

I spotted a door behind off to the side on the same wall the fallen were on and approached it. It looked as good a place as any to start.

* * *

><p>Almost half an hour later, I found myself standing in front of the corpses of the Fallen as I thought about the situation.<p>

The church was as expected empty. While I did find a large basement that looked to have been set up for some kind of ritual that in itself wasn't too uncommon for a place like this and there was nothing else unusual about the place. No signs of a fight or struggle, no clues to what may have happened, there wasn't even any paper work or reports that would tell me what the fallen was up to before they got killed.

I examined the bodies before me one more time before I face palmed. This was gonna be mess.

I don't even want to think of how the Fallen Angels will respond when they find out that their entire branch in this city was wiped out. The only silver lining in this mess was that these guys were low ranked cannon fodder. A dime a dozen and expendable as far as the Fallen higher would consider and certainly not worth sparking a war over.

I may have felt bad for these guys if I hadn't known that they tried to murder an innocent teenaged kid just yesterday.

Still, that doesn't mean this won't cause problems.

Now the question remains, who could have done this?

It was impossible for Devils to have been done it. The guards would have prevented any other Devils from entering the City and neither Sona nor Gremory would have done something like this. Besides, unless the message was there to throw us off the trail, it looked like the killers were followers of God.

Exorcists? No, no matter how much they hate the Fallen, they would never desicrate a church with their corpses. Even the more extreme members of their order would have dragged the bodies outside the church before torturing them at the very least.

The Fallen Faction was naturally ruled out. Not only is every Fallen in the city currently hanging off the wall before me but they would have no reason to do this to one of their own, then destroy the Bounded Fields that protected their territory. If it was simple infighting they wouldn't have wanted outsiders to know about it.

Someone outside of the Three Factions? No, while it was faint I could still sense some lingering light magic radiating from the holes on their chest. That and the way the wound were cauterized indicated that they were pierced by light spears. As far as I know no one outside of the Heaven or Fallen Faction can create and use light spears, unless there was some kind of Sacred Gear I have never heard about. And presuming that the message is genuine then whoever did this wanted to punish the fallen for betraying God.

You know what, I give up. In the end finding the killers isn't even my job and even if I did find them I'm not sure if I should punish them or thank them. These fallen were anything but innocent after all.

For a moment a very worrisome thought hit me, what if someone caught me here in front of the group of dead Fallen and thought I did it? However I quickly dismiss the idea as I realized that there was no one in the city that can catch me in this moment. The fallen are gone, the Vatican were never here to begin with and all the other Devils are currently in school.

I laughed as the absurdity of the last thought hit me. Before I arrived here, the entire Devil faction of this city was repented by a group of inexperienced underaged High school students. Who the hell thought that was a good idea?

Anyway, I'm not sure what I should do next. I'm tempted to call in the guards but there is nothing else they can do here and it's not worth blowing their cover over. There was also the possibility that whoever did this did not know about them and if they didn't, then they'd make a useful trump card. No, the best thing for me to do was contact Serafall and let her decide what to do. That way I can wash my hands from the political side of this.

I turned around and began making way out of the Church but not before giving the dead Fallen one final look over my shoulder.

Well, at least it wasn't all bad. Now when I try to convince Sona to set up a Bounded Field over the School and improve the ones at her home, I'll actually have a genuine reason to give her.

* * *

><p>The ringing of the lunch bell echoed down the walls of the staircase just as I set foot on the first step.<p>

Well, so much for getting back in time for class. At least this way I don't have to try to explain myself to the teacher. It was a good thing that I didn't actually need to attend any of these classes to learn anything or at this rate I would have ended up having to repeat a year.

As I began climbing up the stairs up to the third floor, I thought about my recent discussion with Serafall. Communication between the human world and the Underworld had always been a fickle thing as the dimensional gap that separated the two worlds interfered with any form of magical communication. Until very recently it was hard to get messages across the void in a timely manner.

That was until technology advanced enough to fix the problem. Right now it was possible to send small bursts of electronic signals through the void to delivers short messages. It had to be very limited in size for it to work, so each dispatch had to be restricted to about 140 characters per message.

Yes, the human to Underworld primary form of communication is basically Twitter and Serafall and I had just basically just finished tweeting one another about the situation.

Long story short, it was decided that as long as it looks like no Devils were involved we'll take a hands off approached to the death of the Fallen. It was unlikely that Fallen Faction will appreciate us poking our nose in what was basically their business anyway.

She also decided to temporarily triple the amount guards patrolling the city border, at least until Fallen issue had been handled. The crows in the city were about gain a big boost in population in the upcoming days, so at least the bird watchers will be happy.

Reaching the third floor landing, I took a right turn and made my way towards the corridor that held the lockers to pick up my lunch. I was actually surprised to find out that they had lockers here as they were unpopular in many Japanese schools and my last one certainly didn't have one, but it looks like Sona had them installed as soon as she took over. It was good thing too or else I wouldn't have any place except my desk to store my stuff in.

Walking up to my new steel grey locker, I pulled out my key and unlocked it. After swinging the door open I took one look inside before instantly slamming it shut.

I took two full steps back and just stared at the now closed locker, not able to believe what I just saw. I just stared at it for several seconds and after seeing nothing happening, I hesitantly began to approach the locker once again.

Positioning my head right next to the edge of the locker's door, I quickly cracked it open just an inch, peered inside before slamming it shut again.

I placed my forehead on the cold metallic surface of the door as I felt a headache coming on. Really, why did these insane things keep happening to me? I mean after having traded my soul to a magic girl for a wish, walked into a Cthulhu ritual on my way to the bathroom and found out that Lucifer himself likes to dress his wife up in a French maid uniform, you'll think I'd be used to the insanity. But no, it just keeps surprising me.

Finally I stood back and swung my locker door wide open and asked the occupant, "Koneko, what are you doing?"

She swallowed her last mouthful of food she had been chewing before answering, "Eating"

"My food?"

She thought about it for a moment before nodding her head, "Yes."

"Why?"

"Tasty." She answered without hesitation, as if that would explain everything.

Koneko was sitting snugly inside of my locker, her cheeks covered with red sauce making her look so much like a child that I found it impossible to believe she was a teenager let alone a High school student. She had my open and now mostly empty lunchbox claps tightly in her hands. Even for her petite frame the locker was too small to hold her comfortably, she had to fold up her knees up to her chest and scrunch up like a ball to fit in – and if it wasn't the most adorable thing I've ever seen I might have been angry at her for stealing my lunch.

How the hell did she get in there anyway? The locker was locked from the outside and there is no way to open or close it from the inside. The only way I could think of her getting in was for her to teleport- oh dear she teleported directly into the locker didn't she? For food?

Seeing as how she was ignoring me in favor of searching for scraps inside of the lunchbox, I could believe it. I noticed my second lunchbox that she discarded beneath her legs. I had packed two boxed this morning in anticipation of Koneko joining me for lunch but it looks like I underestimated her appetite.

I looked down at my stomach as it let out a remarkably loud rumble. Not surprisingly really when you considered I had skipped breakfast this morning in addition to all of the work I had done. Koneko seemed to have noticed my hunger because I looked up to find her holding out a small strip of chicken out to me in her dainty little fingers.

"Share?" She looked so adorable when she said that with her head stilted slightly to the side that I couldn't help but laugh as I took a bite out of the offered food.

Still, that was nowhere near enough. "I'm still hungry." I muttered out sadly.

Koneko reach out with her soft little hands and began to gently pat my cheeks with a "There, there," as she apparently tried to console me. I couldn't even muster will to complain that she was the reason why I was going hungry.

You know, I just realized how unfair girls have it. If Rin had ever opened her locker and found me cramped inside with her lunch devoured I seriously doubted I would get off anywhere near as lightly as Koneko would.

I looked back down at my stomach as it let out another rumble. "If only my house wasn't so far away I could have snuck into my kitchen and cooked me another quick lunch, but if I did that I don't think I'll make it back to school in time. I'm gonna be enough trouble with Sona when she finds out I already skipped the entire morning classes, I don't even want to imagine what she'll do if I'm late for the afternoon ones as well." Seriously, Sona may let me get away with a lot of things she wouldn't allow anyone outside of her family to but when it comes to school matter, I don't she'll treat me any different from any other student.

"I guess I'll just have to eat from the canteen but I heard their food has always been kind of bland. It that true Koneko?" I asked her but she didn't reply, "Koneko?

I looked up to find that Koneko wasn't listening. She was sitting as straight up as she could in her the tiny locker as she stared blankly ahead. Slowly, almost mechanically, she turned her head to towards me. Her eyes, when she instantly locked with mine, looked like they were almost gleaming with their own inner light as she quietly asked me, "Kitchen?"

* * *

><p>Koneko's eye tracked the food as I flipped them into the air and back into the firing pan.<p>

I always knew that Kuoh Academy was a prestigious school, not only for the quality of their education but also for the quality of their facilities. You only have to take one look at the fountain that they had in the middle of the main courtyard or the actual school that could have easily been mistaken for a university building to know that. It's not really surprising when you realized that the entire academy is owned and funded by Devils.

…you know, now that I think about it that kind of scary. I mean the education of this city's children is literally being provided by the Devil. If any of the students here complain to their parents that going to school is like going to hell they're actually not too far off the mark.

But anyway, even though I knew about Kuoh's reputation, I don't thing I ever truly appreciated it until I entered the Cooking Club's Kitchen. It was only when I set my eyes upon the state of the art equipment filled the highest quality tools and first class freshly picked ingredients did I finally begin to believe in love at first sight.

Why didn't they ever have a cooking club like this in my old school?

To make things even better, none of the club members minded sharing their Kitchen. Whether that was due to me being a fellow cook or Koneko's pleading stare I'm not too sure but it wouldn't surprise me at all if it turned out that Koneko was a frequent visitor here despite her not being a member.

Right now I was cooking a quick meal of Stir fired vegetable and tofu. The cooking club still hand some leftover baked tofu from yesterday so it wouldn't take me too long to cook. The quality of the ingredients and a little bit of subtle reinforcement mixed in will guarantee a great meal. Of course I had to cook for both Koneko and myself, so I made sure to make enough food to feed five just in case.

Seeing the way she was drooling slightly as her eyes never left the food for a moment, I believe that I made the right choose. That she was still that hungry after already eating both lunchboxes that I prepared however was surprising. Seriously where did all that food go?

Still watching her gaze so longing at my food made me crack out a smile. Using my cooking chopsticks, I picked up a piece of tofu from the frying pan and tossed it towards her in a high arc. Her eyes turned upwards as they tracked the tofu and when it got close to her she open her mouth and caught it out of the air like a dog.

A couple of the cooking club members in the other side of the room broke out in applause and cheers for Koneko when they saw her little performance. Apparently Koneko's a lot more popular in this school than I first thought.

As I went back to focusing on my cooking, I realized that I had the perfect opportunity to clear up a few things. "Hey Koneko," I asked while I stirred the food, "I heard Issei was officially made a part of Rias's Peerage. Is it true that he only ended up having Twice Critical?"

She didn't answer me but I caught her nodding out of the corner of my eye

While I didn't show it in the outside, I was internally doing a little jiggle at the thought of Gremory's face when she found out. Still, I knew that Koneko was close to her so I didn't let any of what I feeling show on my face.

"Strange though, I thought that you smelt a Dragon on him." I instantly realized how what I said may have been taken as an acquisition and quickly clarified myself. "Not that I'm claiming that you made a mistake or anything but did you guys figure out why he didn't have the Boosted Gear?"

Koneko shook her but crinkled her nose as she said, "Dragon, he still smells like one. But different from his Sacred Gear."

I raised an eyebrow at that. Huh, so Issei has the scent of two different Dragons on him. That was…unheard of to say the least. A person can only every have one Sacred Gear, period. While it's unconfirmed, there has been reports that when Azazel attempted to bond two Sacred Gears on a single person as part of his experiments. In each and every experiment has resulted on the test subject's immediate demise.

While it's possible that the reports were false as we don't have any reliable source of information in the Fallen Faction, it does fit with what we already know of Sacred Gears as there has never been a case of a single wielder bearing two of them.

And you can't gain a scent of Dragon simply by being near a one. Nekomata and other beings with a strong sense of smell can easily differentiate from a person's own scent and having someone's scent clinging to them.

No matter how hard I thought about it, I couldn't think of a single explanation to concerning Issei. Oh well, just another mystery in what was becoming a day full of mysteries. I decided to leave it alone for now as the mystery would soon solve itself with or without my involvement. Albion has long since awakened, it was only a matter of time for Ddraig to make his appearance as well.

I turned back my attention back onto my cooking. Today was the day that I promised to help train Sona and her Peerage, and I'm gonna need a full stomach if I wanted to do a good job of it.

* * *

><p>The courtyard was completely pitch-black. The sun has long since set and the flood-lights that were stationed overhead were turned off. The school's high walls blocked of any light from any of the surrounding buildings, leaving the place far too dark for anyone to navigate though.<p>

Well, any human anyway. Devils were a completely different matter. We had no problem seeing in the dark.

It was still ten minutes to seven when I left the gymnasium and made my way to the courtyard, yet I still spotted a group of figures already waiting there for me. It didn't come as much of surprise for me that Sona and her Peerage were not only punctual but early as well.

I easily spotted Sona from where she stood with Tsubaki at the head of the group and walked up her. She had long since spotted me approaching and waited until I had arrived before she started speaking.

"Shirou, you're here early." She said with approval.

"I could say the same to you." I looked over the group and sure enough counted eight of them. The entire Student Counsel were all here. "While I'm not surprised to see you here on time and early, I didn't expect the same from the rest of your Peerage."

"Of course they would be. As members of the Student Council and my Peerage they represent both the school and myself. It is only natural that they would never dare to be late for anything – _Right_?" Somehow, even though we were in the dark with no source of light, her glasses flashed ominously when she adjusted them.

"YES, KAICHOU!" They all stiffened in place and yelled out as one in reply to her question. Even Tsubaki joined in, all of them looking vaguely terrified.

I had a feeling that there is a story behind that, one I'm not quite sure I wanted to know. Luckily that can wait for another time, for now it was time to train.

"Good. Now that you're here Shirou we can begin our regular-"

"Actually," I interrupted her, "I was hoping if you will allow me to test your Peerage one at a time before we do anything else."

She looked surprised at that, so I explained. "I don't need to see how you guys train or fight as a group because I know that they'll excel in that. Let's face it, when it comes to group combat and coordination that is an area that you greatly surpass me at. It's no exaggeration to say I have more to learn from you, than you from me in that particular field."

Sona showed no hint of pride or surprise at my comment; she merely nodded along with my assessment. Oh, so despite not having any delusion of grander when it comes to her strengths like so many of her fellow Devils, she doesn't lack any confidence in them either. That's a surprise. For Devil who's bears the Sin of Pride she shows remarkable little arrogance in her skill, just pure analytically assessment. I wonder if she was always like this or Serafall had something to do with it.

…No, Serafall definitely had something to with it. I'm sure of it, but I'm not gonna ask Sona what her sister put her through. There are somethings we are better off not knowing, usually anything involving Serafall is something that is better left lost and forgotten.

"I'm not here to help you fight as a team, I'm here to help you fight as individuals." I continued, "That is why I want to test your Peerage one at a time so I can examine their individual strength and weakness to know what I need to train them on."

She looked at me over her rims, examining me carefully before nodding slowly, almost hesitantly, in agreement. "Alright, if you feel it's necessary I can accept that. Do you have anything in mind?"

I smiled, "As a matter of fact I do." I jerked a thumb over my shoulder, "I already set up the gymnasium beforehand. Everything's ready to go, I just need my first examinee and we'll being."

Sona looked towards the gymnasium before turning back to me. "You have given this a lot of thought haven't you Shirou?" She adjusted her glass as she took a moment to think about it, "Very well. In that case, allow me to go first."

"Nope," I shook my head," sorry Sona but you're going to be last. You'll understand when it's all over and done, but for this to work you need to be the final one to take this little test of mine."

She glared up to at me, finally haven reached the limit of her patience. "The more I get to know you Shirou, the more you remind me of my sister." She shook her head and relented, "Fine, but this better be worth it in the end."

"It will I promise." I assured her before turning towards the rest of the Peerage. I deliberately looked over them even though I already knew who I was going to choose, "So, who wants to go first?" I asked.

Before Sona had a chance to select a member, someone spoke out. "I'll go," Saji walked forward with a cocky grin in his face, "after hearing so many rumors about you, I want to see if any of it is true."

I shook my head, "Sorry Saji, but Tsubaki is going first." I nodded to the calm and so far silent girl, "She's the Queen and it is the Queen who leads when the King cannot. But since you're so eager, you can go after her."

Saji halted in his tracks before nodding albeit reluctantly. "Follow me," I told Tsubaki before turning around and making my way to the Gymnasium.

I heard some hushed comments behind me, most likely Sona giving Tsubaki some kind of advice or encouragement, before I heard the sound of footsteps trailing after me.

* * *

><p>Unlike the outside, the interior of the gym was brightly lit. While Devils can see in the dark just fine, even better than in the daylight, they are just as blind as anyone else in absolute darkness. Sight needs some light to function after all and since I had the curtains drawn, there was no light coming in from the outside.<p>

The gymnasium was more or less a large basketball court. One side of the room was a large stage that was mostly used for events, announcements or plays. Other than that, the place was clear of any obstacles or obstruction, giving us a wide open place to fight in.

Once I reached the center of the court, I tuned and face Tsubaki. As usual she had a calm and serious expression on her face, not too dissimilar from Sona's. "Ok, Tsubaki this is basically going to be a combat test. Do you have a weapon with you?" I asked after realizing too late that she wasn't carrying her Naginata with her.

Much to my surprise she simply nodded and held out her hand to her right. In the air before her hand, a magic circle bearing the Sitri clan design appeared. The outer half of the circle began to spin clockwise, while the inner half began to spin in the opposing direction. As the blue light of the magic circle began to brighten, a long wooded shaft emerged from the heart of the circle.

Before long, the entire Naginata was drawn out of the circle before falling into Tsubaki's outstretched hand. Its job completed, Tsubaki dismissed the circle and it soon faded away like it was never there.

…you know, sometimes I forget they can do that. Teleportation; in my world that would have fallen into the realm of True magic, of Sorcery. A class of magic that is impossible to be replicated with science.

I know Magus back home that would have dedicated their entire life for that type of magic. I know some Magus families that would willingly and gleefully sacrifice their first born child to learn its secrets. And Devils as young as preschoolers here can cast these types of spells.

Sometimes I can't help but hate them, just a little bit, for the ease they can wield magic. As a human, I had to withstand an enormous amount of pain just to open my circuits so I would be able to cast so much as a single spell. As a Magus, I had to risk my life almost every time I practiced my craft, knowing that if I screwed up I may end up dying. Yet these Devils can use magic as easily as they can breathe.

Oh well, no point complaining about what you can't change. Besides, I'm a Devil too now so it's not like I have a right to complain anymore.

I raised my right hand and began tracing a weapon. After a few moments I felt the familiar and comfortable weight of a sword in my hand. It was a standard European blade, one which fit perfectly into one hand. It wasn't impressive to look at, just a simple steel-grey sword with a leather hilt. And compared to many of my other swords, it wasn't anything special.

It's not even a Noble Phantasm, just a very well made if mostly mundane sword. Though it did have some form of magical protections cast on it that, ones that prevented the steel from rusting and the edge from dulling. However, what made the sword special were its former owners. The sword was passed down from warrior to warrior for dozens of generations, many of whom were excellent swordsmen coming from many different styles. In most people's hands it would have been nothing but a good quality sword, in mine however it became something more, as the skills of all its previous wielders were now mine to use.

I didn't want to use Noble Phantasm in this fight, not after seeing how badly it rattled them when I did it in the Council room. Besides, I wanted them to think that they had a chance to win, at least at first anyway.

I held out my sword and took a proper stance.

"The rule of the fight is simple, keep going until you have nothing left to give. Don't worry about harming me or making a racket. I set up a Bounded Field earlier that will prevent all sounds from escaping the gymnasium and I already have made preparations in case of injures. And if worse comes to worst I have a vial of Phoenix Tear's ready for use."

Tsubaki walked until she was about six meters away from me before she stopped and took a proper stance.

I waited for a few seconds to make sure she was ready, before I called out the signal to begin. "_Hajime."_

* * *

><p>I swayed back as the blade of the naginata soared past my head, then side stepped the butt of the weapon as Tsubaki twisted the weapon around, using the momentum of her first swing to carry the attack through . Even as she missed she didn't stop the swing but instead flowed with the attack to make a third swing, this time with the blade again, although it's purpose wasn't so much to hit me as it was to keep me away as she returned back to proper stance.<p>

It was actually pretty impressive sight. Ever move was textbook perfect. Each attack flowing into next then next, creating what appeared to be a never ending stream of strikes.

She never lost her cool either. Even though it had been almost five minutes since the start of the fight and she hadn't landed a single blow on me, her form never wavered. She kept clam and cool, not allowing her frustration to cloud her judgment, and continued her precise and well controlled attacks.

I had to admit, she was doing better than I thought she would. Most would have long lost their composure after missing so many times and would become more reckless in attacking until they end up overextending themselves.

Frankly, it was almost unfair of me to fight someone with a bladed weapon. In just one glance, I can read her naginata's history. I can see every strike or swing she had ever thrown with that weapon. I know all of her tricks, her tells and all of the minute details of her style.

Just from the slight way she sifted her toes of her back foot slightly, to better grip the ground with, I knew that she will attempting a thrust next which I promptly deflected with the side of my blade as I danced around her.

However the purpose of this fight wasn't to be fair, it was to learn about her and help her grow stronger. And from the history written into the very bone of her naginata, I learned more about Tsubaki as a person that I would have in year by any other method.

Diligence. If there was one word that would describe Tsubaki as a person it would be that. Every morning before breakfast and every night after dinar, without fail she would take her naginata to the backyard of house and train. One thousand swings followed by a thousand thrusts, never skipping so much as a single strike and added a dozen more for each time her form slipped. When she finished, she would spend the next thirty minutes going over the Kata of her style, making sure each set was done perfectly before going onto the next. And when it was finally done, she would go take a shower and start all over the next day.

In the one year, nine months and twelve days since she was given that naginata, she had never skipped so much as a single day of practice. Diligence, it describes her to a tee.

Instead of sidestepping the blow like she expected me to, I blocked it and rammed into her. This caused her to lose her balance, enabling to switch positions with her, thus preventing her from successfully trapping in the corner.

It wasn't a glamorous form of training but it didn't need to be. In the end nothing beats basic training. The reason why someone else's sword swing is faster than yours is because for each one hundred swings you did in practice, he did a thousand.

There are no short-cuts when it comes to real skill. If you throw aside all strategy, tactics and luck, when all things are equal the one who trained the most will always emerge as the winner. It was as simple as that. That was how one developed their skills. That was how the weak become the strong. In that regard, there was nothing I could teach her.

It was a good thing then that I wasn't planning to. I don't know what they expected when I offered to train them, but if they thought I had some kind of ancient or mystical training program set up that will magically boost their skill level like in one of those Magic Girl anime's Serafall made me watch then they're sadly mistaken.

What I came here to do wasn't to help improve in their combat skills. I was here to make sure that they can properly apply those skills.

The problem with training is that you're taught to restrain yourself. After all, when you practice your techniques with a partner or in a spar, you don't want harm to them. When you practice an arm lock that can break an opponent's arm you're taught to stop before breaking it. So every time you practice you automatically stop yourself before completing the move.

When you're taught how to gouge an enemy's eyes out, you always stop short of actually touching the eyes. Even when sparing in armour and _shinais_, you're taught to never fight dirty, to follow rules of courtesy. You're taught to never strike an enemy when their down, when that should be the _best_ time strike them.

In short, you train your instincts to not harm your opponent.

This will cause your instincts to be blunted. In a real fight when you won't have time to think, that will get you killed, as all you'll have are instincts.

Take Tsubaki's for example. I raised my arm and blocked the strike with the back of my empty left hand. The room echoed with the sound of the ringing of metal as the naginata was halted in place, leaving my hand completely unharmed.

"!", for the first time Tsubaki expression has shifted away from the clam analytical look she was wearing since the fight started. She was staring at the hand that blocked the naked blade of her naginata wide eyes, disbelief clearly written on her face, clearly not believing that my body was hard enough to block her attack so easily.

She was right to disbelieve because there is no way my body, even with the boosted defense of a Queen, was capable of halting her attack and emerged without so much as a scratch to show for it.

It wasn't that Tsubaki lacked the strength to break through my defense; it was that she wasn't applying that strength. That was the problem with training, when the time for a real fight comes you have trouble adjusting. You teach yourself not to swing in full power in a spar and that carries on to the real fights. You can't just remove all the mental restraints you placed on yourself as if they were cloths.

Since the very beginning of a fight she was always aware that she was fighting with a real blade not a practice one. Something that cut flesh and sever limbs, and a part of her mind was always careful not to cut me with it. Despite her perfect form, there was a lack of power behind her strikes. A clear fear of what will happen if her attack connects.

I twisted my hand and griped the blade of the naginata before pulling her towards me. Still shocked over the ease I blocked her strike she was easily pulled of balanced and was unable to react in time to block my knee from slamming into her stomach.

Spittle flew out of her mouth as she collapsed onto her knee, breaking into a coughing fit as she relinquished her hold on the weapon. I spun her naginata around until I held it by its shaft and swung it over my shoulder.

"Did you know," I began in conversational tone, as if didn't have girl clutching her stomach in agony sitting by my feet, "that in a real fight between a skilled street fighter and a skilled professional martial artists, the street fighter has a much more likelier chance of winning despite being far less skilled."

Finally having gotten her coughing under control she peered up at me with confusion evident on her face.

"You see it's quite simple," I continued, "the martial artist for all his skills has no idea how to apply those skills in a real fight. While the street fighter knows how to effectively apply his admittedly far more limited skills into a fight."

I swung the naginata around and I held it out to her. "Allow me to explain what I'm doing here Tsubaki. I'm not her to train your skills but I'm here to teach you how to fight. How to apply those very skills you've cultivated for years in a way that can actually save your life when the time comes. In other words, I'm here to teach you what a real fight is, one where you have to kill or be killed." I nodded towards the naginata. "Now, take it and get up."

She looked up at me hesitantly before she reached out for her weapon and stood up.

The moment she took a proper stance I reinforced my limbs to the limit, dashed forward and aimed a solid front kick right into the middle of the naginata. The wooden shaft splintered and collapsed under the force of the kick and my foot tore right through until it slammed right into the middle of her chest.

Unlike last time she didn't simply collapse but instead went soaring backwards, tumbling several times onto the wooded surface of the court, until she finally skidded to stop after traveling halfway across the gymnasium.

She tried to push herself upward with her hand but collapsed almost immediately as she coughed out a glob of blood onto the floor.

I lowered my foot and slowly began approaching her, all the while making sure to keep an impassive look as my face, as if I wasn't cringing on the inside at what I had to do

It's sad, but words are rarely enough to get the point across, not with this kind of lesson. Pain has always been a great teacher and an equally great motivator. There is nothing better than pain that can simultaneously remind you that you're alive and how easily that life can end.

Right now that's exactly what I wanted from her. To make her realize that fighting was not a game. That it wasn't a tool to be used on some Rating Game match, but a weapon that to be used to stave away her death.

I stopped three paces away from her and waited for her to look at me. It took her a while, as she had trouble gathering her breath as her body kept shuddering with coughs, but eventually she did. She lifted her gaze to look up at me, eye shinning with unshed tears and drops of blood staining her lips crimson.

"Why didn't you volunteer?" I asked

She looked so utterly perplexed by my question that I'm sure she had no idea what I was talking about.

"When I asked Sona's Peerage for someone to take the test first, why didn't you volunteer?" I clarified. "Sona wanted to go first because she knew she needed to lead the rest of the Peerage. By watching her go unhesitantly forward the others would be encouraged by her actions. You however, did no such thing. You were too passive, only waiting for instructions from your King rather than acting on your own. Even Saji, for all his apparent bravado, just wanted to protect the other girls in the Peerage in his own way because he saw it as his duty as the only guy of the group. You on the other hand sat back and did nothing until you were ordered to.

"You need to understand Tsubaki, that you are not just any ordinary Peerage member. You are the Queen, and the Queen leads when the King cannot. Imagine if you will, how much better the others waiting outside would have felt if you had stepped up to the plate when I asked for volunteers rather than having been forced to go first?

"Sona, due to her obsession with Rating Games, is under the delusion that she need not worry who would lead her Peerage when she falls. That the battle is over once she leave the battlefield but life simply does not work like that. In war, the battle simply does not end when the King falls. The soldiers still live on and they'll still fight as long they have someone to lead them.

"That is the true purpose of the Queen. Not to simply be an extension of the King's will that mindlessly obeys every order but someone to lead the others when the King cannot." I pointed my blade towards her, "Do you understand Shinra Tsubaki?"

I locked my eyes onto hers, trying to convey the seriousness of my question. She stared back wordlessly for a moment, before opening her mouth to answer. Unfortunately instead of words, she vomited out a huge stream of blood instead before falling into another coughing fit.

_Ok_~, that did not go exactly how I planned. So much for my motivational speech. Going by how much blood she's coughing out I must have punctured a lung when I broke her ribs. Looks like a kicked her a little bit harder than I planned to. Luckily, I came prepared.

"Asia," I called out towards the stage, "you can come out now. I could use your help here."

Asia appeared from behind the curtains of the stage before hopping off the stage and calmly made her way over. She was another T-shirt, this time with the caption 'I'm a little Devil' with a Devil's hanging off the end of the 'L' in Devil. I was a little surprised to see that she didn't look worried or scared as she approached us, but instead had an intrigued look on her face as if she was trying to figure out some kind of puzzle.

When she got here she immediately kneeled next to Tsubaki, completely disregarding the blood spattering the ground, and began healing her using the power of Twilight Healing.

As she did that I turned back to Tsubaki and tried to complete my point.

"Tsubaki, I'll leave you with a choice." I waved a hand towards the stage. "There is a room behind the stage where you can rest in. If at any time you want to, you can quit this little test of mine and go to that room and relax. I'll not do anything to stop you or discourage you.

"Or you can continue this test. And over the next twenty minutes or so I'll beat you black and blue, break your bones over and over again, and leave you in agony that you have never felt the like before.

"But in exchange you'll learn how to fight, how to carry on fighting even with a broken body, how to apply those hard earned skills of yours in a real battle. Because I promise you this, one day you'll find yourself in a situation just like this one. Where you'll face an enemy who'll crush your face into the dirt, shatter the bones in your bones like twigs and dye the ground red with your blood. The only difference between then and now is that you won't be alone.

"You'll have the rest of your Peerage, your comrade and friends beside you, so you will not be able to run away like you can today, not without leaving them behind. And I will not insult you by even implying that you'll willingly abandon them. But make no mistake, it will not matter whether you choose to stay and fight or simply run away. Not as you are now, against that kind of enemy, your sacrifice won't make a damn against him because he will kill you and your Peerage without the slightest hesitation." I did not lie, because if _he_ was truly coming and I failed to stop him, then that was exactly what was going to happen.

"Because just like today, you'll hold back. Your training will make you pull your blows without conscious thought or will. Cuts that should have been able to slice my hand in two will fail to even pierce skin because you've been trained to restrain yourself all too well.

"That is why, I will teach you. I will teach you how to cut without hesitation, to strike without restraint so that when the time comes you'll be able to fight back, you'll be able to win."

By this time Asia had finished healing Tsubaki and had already began to back away.

Placing her hands beneath her, Tsubaki pushed herself onto her feet. She wobbled for a second before she found her balance. She bounced a couple of times on the tip of her toes before she assumed a stance. Not even bother to pick up her broken weapon she simply took a basic boxing stance, hands held close to her head and leading with her left foot and shoulder.

"Emiya," She stated, "You talk too damn much."

I blinked owlishly at her, not expecting her to say that, before exploded out in laughter. Yeah, I admit it. I always sucked at speeches. There is a reason why Archer never had the 'Charisma' as a Personal Skill after all.

Still, that she was willing to fight me unarmed after all that was something that even impressed me. Looks like this one has steel in her after all. She may not have been strong, for now at least, but if all Queens are like her than perhaps I will no longer find bearing the title of Queen so shameful anymore.

Spirit like that is worth rewarding. After all I was the one who destroyed her old weapon, it was only right that I be the one to replace it. And I had just the perfect weapon for her.

"Fine but I can't allow you to fight me unarmed, not when the entire point is to learn to properly apply your fighting skills." I held out my left hand to catch the newly traced weapon before thrusting it point first at her feet. "It'd may not be a naginata but I think you'll be more than pleased once you have mastered it. Think of it as a replacement for breaking your last weapon."

In the ground between us was a Chinese halberd. It had a spear tip as a head with a single crescent-moon shaped blade attached to the side of the shaft. It was long, almost two meters in length with had a steel counterweight attached to the butt of the spear. While most of the spear's shaft was colored black it had a patch of gold next to the crescent blade were a painted leather cloth was attached.

While Tsubaki will not be able to access the full power of this particular Noble Phantasm, its passive abilities will still make it an incredibly powerful weapon for her to use. If she can master it that is.

"That weapon is unique, you'll never be able to find another like it in the world but I'll tell you about its characteristics later. For now it is time for us to continue our fight." I indicated with my sword for her to pick up the halberd, when I noticed her staring at the weapon with awe. After a few moment of hesitation she reached out and pulled the weapon out of the ground, marveling at it all the while.

It was good thing that she was a Queen or else she would have had a lot more trouble lifting the heavy weapon as easily as she did. As it was I doubted that any other class would have the strength and speed needed to properly wield the weapon.

"You can admire it later," I told her when it looked she had forgotten about me. I felt a small part of myself preen in pride at the look of reverence she was giving one of my blades. However I quickly shoved that part away for now and motioned her to assume her stance which she promptly did.

"Allow me to remind you Shinra Tsubaki, that after I'm done with you it'll be your comrades who will be tested next. And after them will be your King. So if you want to stop me or at least weaken me enough to lessen their burden even a little bit, then strike me down.

"Without hesitation, without restraint, you must strike me as if you're willing to kill me or else you won't leave so much as a mark on me. Now, will you prove yourself worthy of holding the same title as me, oh Queen of the Sitri?"

Once I saw she was ready I said, "Let us begin then,

"_Hajime!"_

* * *

><p>The punch went wide, the momentum pulling Saji forward as I easily side-stepped him and the blow. It was a messy punch, well telegraphed and with sloppy technique. It was painfully clear that he didn't much proper hand to hand training. I didn't even need to trace any of my swords for this fight despite his promotion to Queen.<p>

Still, it had a lot of power behind the swing. I was actually impressed. I thought he would be the one that need the most help from my lesson, seeing as he was the newest to the Peerage, but it looks like it'll end up with him needing it the least.

True, his form was absolute crap but his instincts were remarkable spot on. He put his entire weight behind each punch and kept on fighting no matter how many times I hit him. Unlike Tsubaki who paused whenever she went down, Saji rolled and stood up right away as if he was expecting a kick to head if he didn't move fast enough.

Seeing how he moves, it's clear he'd had more than his share of fights. In many ways he's the complete opposite of Tsubaki. No skill or technique but he knows how to use what little he has well. He doesn't need to learn how to hold back because he was never properly taught how to fight in the first place but instead scraped what little he knows in actual fights.

I looked down at the lizard like Sacred Gear that was protruding out of his left hand. The Absorption Line, a Sacred Gear containing a fifth of Vritra's, one of the five great Dragon Kings, soul.

When I first heard of it I was curious how its wielder will behave. It is well known that a Sacred Gear reflects their wielder's personality. So what does it mean for someone to have a broken scared gear? I was actually worried that whoever was matched with it would be broken, demented even. After all, what kind of mind would be matched with a divided soul?

But it looks like my assumption was wrong. It's clear that in some way, even divided, a Dragon's still a Dragon.

Saji rolled across the court's floor, bleeding off the momentum of my kick, before jumping back to his feet. He rubbed blood away from split lips with the cuffs of his sleeve before charging back at me, "You got to do better than that if you want to take me down, Aniki!"

I didn't bother raising my hands. I just ducked under the blow while simultaneously kicking at his legs, causing him to tumble forward but he was able to maintain his balance, if barely.

"Why do you keep calling me that?" That's another thing; he has been calling me Aniki the entire fight.

"What, 'Aniki'?" He asked just before charging me again.

"Yeah that." This time I caught his punch while twisting around and using his own momentum to throw him over my shoulder. He hit the ground rather harshly, clearly not knowing how to land and roll when thrown, but he soon got back to his feet. Though he was favoring his right arm now.

"Well," He stopped attacking as he talked, obviously trying to use the opportunity to rest, "from what I heard, because of your position as Queen to Kaichou's sister, it kind of makes you her brother right?"

"Well, yeah. Sure let's go with that." It wasn't quite like that but I didn't bother to contradict him.

"Then I figure I better get in the practice. You see," He stood up straight and jerked a thump at his chest as he declared, "I'm in love with Kaichou."

_Oh,_ well looks like little Sona has an admirer.

"You see, Aniki. I have a dream, one that I will accomplish no matter what. And that dream is," He point straight up into the sky as he declared to the world with pride, "to knock Kaichou up –"

A fist appeared out of nowhere and slammed into Saji's face before he had a chance to finish his sentence, sending him cartwheeling three times in the air before slamming into the far wall of the gym and bouncing off it. He crashed into the concrete wall with so much force it actually left a small crater in it.

I stared, confused as to what happened until I looked down to find my hand extended outward while curled into a fist. It was only then that I realized that I was the one who punched him.

Asia jumps off the stage and calmly walks over to Saji's unmoving form, before crouching down and poking him a few times.

"Shirou," She tells me calmly, "I think you broke his neck." Then she reaches out, clasps his head in both of his hand before twisting it back in place with a sickening crunch that even made my stomach turn. She then places a palm on his neck which began glowing with the green light of Twilight healing.

"Umm…Asia," I asked, feeling more than little nervous for some reason, "aren't you even a little bit scared. I mean you just twisted Saji's broken neck back in place."

"Nahh, I've dealt with a lot worse accidents than this during my time as a Holy Maiden." She replied with a fond smile as she lost herself in memories. "I've had to deal with broken bones, severed limbs and I even help with child births. And trust me the there is nothing more horrifying than seeing a baby pushed out of a vagina. There was even that one time where I had to heal a person with a cracked skull. I could literally see into his brain and everything. We even found small pieces of his brain that we had to squeeze back into this skull before I healed him. That was actually rather fun." She finished, flashing me a bright smile.

OK, its official…Asia is _scary_.

"So," I began, deciding to ignore what I just heard, "any chance of Saji continuing?"

"Sorry Shirou but even with me here, a broken neck isn't something that you can just shrug off. He'll probably be out for a couple of more hours."

I shrugged, not really feeling any disappointment at that. After what he said, I had lost all urge to help train him. Looks like my theory that a Sacred Gear with a broken soul latching into someone that was also a bit broken was right after all. Hopefully the blow to his head will cause some memory loss and he'll forget that dream of his.

Or at the very least he'll forget that I broke his neck. I never want to see Sona's reaction if she ever finds out.

* * *

><p><em>Really, they were impressive<em>

The blue haired tom-boy, Tsubasa, spat a mouthful of blood from where she was kneeling on the floor before looking up at me. "Dude, someone has really got to introduce you to Akeno," she quibbled with a tired little smirk, "I have a feeling you two will get along great."

"Giving up?" I asked as I eyed her broken right arm.

"And end the fun already? Nahh, I love fighting dirty." She smiled up at me, revealing teeth that were painted red with her blood. The shield attached to her left arm erupted in blue flames, painting one side of her face an azure blue, "And there is nothing dirtier than fighting _in your own blood_." She roared as she charged

_No matter what I did they kept standing up_

Even as she collapsed onto the floor, her broken leg unable to support her weight any longer, she didn't make a sound. Her face remained stoic, giving her an almost bored look, as it did throughout the entire fight.

The raven haired Bishop, Momo, spoke for the first time since she set foot in the gym. "Did you put Gen-chan through this as well?" Even as she asked the question, I couldn't detect so much as a hint of emotion on her face.

In reply I simply pointed my swords towards the small crater in the wall where I smashed Saji into.

Her eyes linger at the crater for a long moment before her turned and faced me. Then she smiled – it wasn't a pretty thing

Her face was cast in flickering yellow light as lighting erupted from her hands, crackling between her fingers before she threw it at me.

_Uncaring for their own wounds, only that of their comrades, they willingly threw themselves in harm's way to protect one another._

The pigtailed Knight smiled and laughed as we clashed our blades, as if she wasn't aware of the dozens of bleeding cuts that were gradually soaking her uniform in blood.

"You know Sempai," Tomoe chirped after backing away from out latest clash, which left another bleeding cut on her cheek, "I'm the mood maker of the group. That's why I always have to be smiling, because if I'm sad who will cheer the others up?"

She tilted her head while tapping her chin with a finger, "But~, if none of them are here watching than I don't have reason to keep smiling, do I?" Her grin seemed to stretch almost painfully wide.

"Here's a piece of advice for you Sempai. You have to always be careful around people who are always smiling. After all," like a candle being blow out her smile extinguished, leaving behind a cold and hard face that resembled nothing like the cheerful looking girl that was there a second ago, "you can never tell what their thinking behind that smile of theirs."

She charged at me, blade screeching overhead from the speed of her swing.

_And if one shows fear or hesitation – I need but mention that their comrades would be next after them, then the fire will reignite in their eyes._

At mentioning the fate of the Pawn and her king should she fall, the final Bishop Reya's slow retreat was reversed as she charged at me.

Recklessly casting spell after spell as I was forced to dodge a rain of sharped hails and blades of howling winds. All the while she completely ignored my attacks, even as they cut deep into her flesh, in her efforts to get me.

_If I broke their bones, they shrug it off and kept attacking until they simply had nothing left to give._

The sound of steel tapping on wood echoed throughout the gymnasium as Ruruko danced and skipped in those metallic boots of hers, her Twin-tailed hair trailing after her like streamers. Her steps were so fast that the tapping sounded like rain falling on a window.

Sweat poured down the Pawn's face, her breath coming out it short pants but she refused to slow down. Too tired to speak, she instead glared at me as she increased her speed yet again. Paying no mind to the way her movement grounded the bones of her broken shoulder together, she danced around me, looking for an opening to exploit.

_I could not help but like these children._

_I'll give Sona one thing, despite my initial misgiving she has chosen a good Peerage._

* * *

><p>I heard Sona enter the Gymnasiums from behind me. I had Asia cast a basic illusion over the basketball court, hiding all damage and blood stains. It was a simple thing, something that even a Low-Class can dispel with ease. That Sona didn't notice it yet just went to show how out if it with worry over her Peerage she was.<p>

"Did you figure out why I left you for last?" I asked as I turned to face her, not waiting for her to answer. "How did it feel Sona, to see your Peerage disappear one by one before you? How did you feel to be unable to think or formulate a single plan with that incredible mind of yours, when you had no information or data to work with? How did it feel to know that all your plans and all of your tactics could not work when you were not there to hold your Peerage's hand and guide them?"

"Shirou," she stated calmly after she stopped a couple of paces in front of me, "where are they?"

I ignored her question as I began walking around her, "Now that you're alone without your Peerage, do you have any cards to play in your deck? In chess, you need pieces to set up a trap, to co-ordinate a defense or even mount an attack. So with that chess mindset of yours, what can you possible do alone?"

I spread my hands out wide and indicated the wide open court of the gymnasium. "The terrain of this battlefield is flat and empty so you can't use it to your advantage, particularly since I was the one who set the place up and know it better than you do. There is no weather, no possible outside interference that you can twist to your advantage. In this battlefield tactics and strategies won't work, all you can really do is rely on your own skill. Do you think that will be enough for you to win?" I halted right in front of her.

"Enough of these games, Shirou." She told me calmly before she repeated her question. "Where are they?

"Beat me and find out."

"TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE!" She yelled, her mask finally slipping to show the worry she was so desperately trying to hide.

Instead of answering I forcefully dispelled the illusion using my own magic. All around us the signs of battle appeared. They court was a mess, small and large craters littering the floors and walls. Gash and cuts from swords coated the floor. Scorch marks from flames and lighting spells marked the walls. Footprints imprinted into the wood of the basketball court from Ruruko's metallic boots. But most of all, there was blood.

Lots and lots of blood.

Before Sona could begin to truly panic, I calmed her. "They're fine," I pointed towards Asia who stood in the middle of the stage, not bothering to hide this time, "my bishop Asia is the wielder of the Twilight Healing. She healed them all completely. I promise you, other than being completely exhausted they are completely unharmed."

The relief hit Sona so strongly that swayed in place and I actually thought that she was going to collapse for a moment.

"Why?" While it was clear she was trying to sound angry, it was equally apparent that she was simply too tired to muster any real emotion.

"Did you really think that Serafall sent me here on a whim?" I answered her question with another question. "Since the very second I was reincarnated into a Devil, she latched onto me, refusing to leave my side for more than a few hours at a time and even then reluctantly. Yet she suddenly sends me so far away that I was literally in a different world from her, didn't you find this in anyway strange?"

"War is coming Sona," I cut her off before she could answer. I nodded when her face paled dramatically at the news. Good, at least she knows to take this seriously, "She did not want me to let you know but I think you deserve to. War is coming, and I was sent here to try to stop it. Yet even if I succeed here in every way it will not be enough to stop it from coming but will simply delay its arrival.

"There are too many other fires to put out, to many other excuses that could spark the war to prevent it from coming. Serafall sent me here for two purposes. The first is to prevent someone trying to start the war in this city from succeeding. The other is to train both you and your Peerage.

"Do you understand Sona? I'm not here just for you but your Peerage as well, you should know why."

She shut her eyes and muttered, "The Civil War."

I nodded, even thought she could not see me for the moment, "That's right, the Civil War. She does not want you to go through what she did, not to experience that hell she lived through." I spun and glared right into her eyes.

"It broke her Sona. It broke her so badly that it took two hundred years and both you and me together to finally to put the pieces together." I gently poked her in the chest, "She wanted to save you from that so badly that she was willing to part from me for you. Do you understand Sona?"

She nodded solemnly. If there is anyone in the world alive other than myself that truly understood what parting from me meant for Serafall it would be Sona.

"War is coming Sona." I repeated myself. "And when it does, there is nothing you can do to keep your Peerage away from it. You will see them bleed, one way or the other. Other right here and now so they can learn how to fight and not bleed and die later on. Or they will bleed in the battlefield where they will just die." I stopped and took a step back.

"However Sona, I cannot treat you the same as I treated your Peerage." I informed her. "You are a Heiress, making you an equal to me in rank. I cannot force you into combat like I did with your Peerage. So instead I will offer you a choice, Sona Sitri."

I pointed towards the room behind the stage. "You can go and join your Peerage where they are resting, or you can stay here and be trained by me.

"But be warned. The moment we begin, I will treat you not as an equal but as student. I will treat you no different than I did your Peerage. I will break your bones, spill your blood and make you suffer like never before. But in exchange I will make you stronger, so that you may have a chance to survive the upcoming dangers.

"So what say you, Heiress of the Sitri, do you accept?"

Her reply came in streams of water that she conjured into the air around her, dances and fluttering like ribbon in the wind. A heartbeat later, their number grew from the four they began with, to so many in number that they filled the entire gymnasium, numbering far more than I could count. They twisted and turned in the air likes snakes waiting to strike at a moment command.

I smiled in pride at her.

That's right, this is how a King should be. With courage and through example, that is how a King leads his men.

Isn't that right, Saber?

**Story End**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

That it for the new chapter, I hope you all liked it.

I had a lot of fun writing the training scene even though fight scenes of any kinds are hard to show in written form (even though there wasn't much fighting going on).

Those who love the Boosted Gear, don't worry it'll play a big role in this story (and no Shirou will not get it – no magical power up remember). Remember the story is told from Shirou's point of view so there are things going on in the background that he is unaware of or information that he's lacking (he's only been in the school for two days now) so there are pieces of the puzzle he doesn't know about. I admit that I did keep any large clues because I don't want to ruin the surprise but from the little I gave you did any of you guess what happened to it? At the very least, it is possible to figure out _why _Issei doesn't have it despite his scent with the clues I kept. It won't be too long before it the Boosted Gear makes an appearance.

After taking a two day break from writing, I ended up writing 20K+ words in five days. Really, even I was shocked that I could do this. Before starting this story I wasn't even able to write 10K a month now I find myself writing over 70K in as little as three weeks. I think it's having so many people reading and enjoying my work that motivate me to really write, so thank you all.

All usual, while I am grateful for any reviews, even ones the just say 'Good Job', I would really appreciate any constructive criticism you can give me that will help me improve my writing. By telling me the part you liked and what parts you didn't you'll have me make the story better than what it would have been.

Question: Do you guys like long chapter like this or would you prefer shorter ones?

Again, thank you all so much for reading.


	7. Chapter 7: Of Swords and Angels

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or High school DxD, just the original concepts and plot in this story. This Crossover is a complete AU**

**Author's Notes:**`

Yahoo! My last chapter was a great success, the highest amount of positive reviews that I had ever received from a single chapter as well as a bunch of new Favorites. Thank you all so much so for your support. Now the Good news is that we are approaching the climax of this arc, just a couple of chapters or so until we reach the big fight scene and I'm really looking forward to writing that. I have been wanting to pen the fight and the aftermath since I released the first chapter to I'm glad I can finally do so. Now onto a few issue some readers point out in the reviews:

**Sirzechs/Realism/bashing/Devils**: Let me just say that Sirzechs is one of my favorite characters in the DxD verse, I think he's awesome. But what I think and what Shirou thinks are two different things. So let me make it clear, the point of views of the characters don't represent nor reflect the point of the view of the author… did I just write out a disclaimer to my own readers?

When I penned out this story I had one question in mind "What if the events in Canon were explained in a realistic manner?" So everything I wrote, including the Issei's death was an attempt to try and explain canon events (at least early canon events) in realistic terms. Because let's face it there is no way the devils did not know about a fallen in the school, thus they must have let Issei die. This chapter and the rest of my story will follow much in the same vain. What if the events in the canon had a realistic explanation to them? Please keep that in mind when reading this and the following chapters.

**My world is much darker place than Canon**: as a consequence many of the characters have done and will do many things that they aren't proud of. All of the Magus, Serafall included, had to get their hands dirty and make tough choices during the war. It was a _Civil_ war after all, where they had to fight Devils who may have been family or friends at one point. Plus in Canon we know that Sirzechs is not above using his power to manipulate people to make his sister happy (the guy had a gryphon prepared as a getaway car to help his sister out of a political marriage). Let me remind you that Sirzechs has one major personality flaw in my story that he doesn't in Canon– his Sin of Greed, how will that affect him?

Plus this story is being told form Shirou's point of view and even he himself admitted he was Biased.

Remember in this story Devils aren't the good guys. They may not be Evil but they won't be good by any stretch of the imagination. Remember in Canon Diodora Astaroth could legally rape and torture his Peerage, and no one did a thing about it.

And finally, please realize that Devils are NOT HUMANS, so do not be surprised if many of them act like, well, like Devils. This will apply for the rest of the species in the story; anything that's not human will not behave like humans. So do not hold them to human moral standards.

**Here is one final clue to help you understand my writing style**: "Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action" – Ian Fleming

**Why does Shirou not act like Canon**: that is because this isn't Canon Shirou, right from the start of the fire things have started to go different. It was like a butterfly effect, starts small but by the end of it huge changes occur. And I promise you I plan to reveal Shirou's past but I can't do it all in one chapter. If I give away all the answers to all the mysteries in one go not only would it result in a terrible chapter but I'll have no story to write. So please be patient and I promise to reveal it all in time. It's only the first arc after all. PS. Shirou is acting more human/normal is on purpose, the reason why will be revealed in later chapters.

**Timeline: **The Canon timeline makes no sense so it has been modified (according to wiki the Great War ended thousands of years ago, which means God died before Christ was born and the founding of Christianity).

**Mistakes fixed**: I have changed the amount of souls of Saji's Sacred Gear had been divided into from four to five pieces and changed the appearance of Tsubaki's new halberd (I had the gifs mixed up). I also plan to change name Phoenix to Phenex.

Oh, and remember. I'm still a brand spanking new author of fan fiction so if I made any stupid mistakes that makes no sense in any of my chapters, I'm more than willing to rewrite it to fix it.

Thanks for Reading and I hope you enjoy the story.

***Story Start**

* * *

><p>Of Swords and Angels<p>

I raised my left hand into the air, watching with interest as the light bounced off the metallic surface of the deep red gauntlet. I rotated my wrist clockwise then counter-clockwise, observing the way the gauntlet effortlessly followed my movement despite its bulk, before clenching then relaxing my hand.

A perfect replica of the Sacred Gear Twice Critical encased my left hand and forearm. Ever since I first heard of Sacred Gears I have wanted to see if I can trace them. However before now I simply didn't have the chance to try.

At first it was due to time, I had so much to learn about the world when I first arrived and a detailed analysis of Sacred Gears was simply not a priority at the time. Then it was due to a lack of opportunity, as in the Underworld Sacred Gears were rather rare to find. They did only manifest in humans after all and outside of a young Devil's Peerage, Sacred Gears users were hard to find.

However since arriving in the human world opportunity no longer became an issue. My first attempt of replicating a Sacred Gear came when I had witnessed Kiba training one morning. Sword Birth was a perfect Sacred Gear for me to start experimenting with as it had so much in common with both my Tracing ability and my element.

While my attempt did work, I wouldn't call it a success. As predicted my abilities allowed me to replicate every sword that Kiba created but that just meant I copied the product of the Sacred Gear, not the Gear itself. Sword Birth as it turns out, did not have a physical manifestation which regrettably meant there was nothing for me to trace.

My second opportunity at replicating a Sacred Gear came soon after. Issei was surprisingly ecstatic for a person who had died just a few days ago. Perhaps it had to do with the lacy bra that Gremory had dangling in front of him with a fishing pole while she sat on his shoulders and made him run around the track field.

I have to admit, the Gremory sure knew how to handle the pervert, far better than I would have had I been in her place. While I doubt it would have been as effective, I would never have been willing to use my boxers as bait in order to train him if Issei was part of my Peerage.

What caught my interest however wasn't the training method but the maroon red gauntlet that covered his left arm. Twice Critical, a Sacred Gear capable of doubling an individual's strength for a limited time. In spite of its reputation as a low-tier Gear its power was nothing to laugh at. To increase my strength by double, no, even a twenty percent increase will give me an incredible boost in my fighting capabilities.

While not a sword, it was one of the more simplest forms a Sacred Gears can take, making it as good a place to start as any. After three days of trial and error, and countless of failed projections I finally made some progress.

I lifted my replicated Twice Critical in front of me. This was the result. With this, my attempts in reproducing Sacred Gears have come to an end. It was in every way a perfect copy that was indistinguishable from the real thing.

It was also a complete failure.

There was nothing wrong with it, no flaw in craftsmanship that prevented it from functioning as it should. It was as I had said a perfect copy. The problem lies not with my replica but with the original Twice Critical, or to be more precise the problem lies with Sacred Gears in general. In my experimentation with them, I had discovered a fundamental truth about their function.

Sacred Gears where not designed to grant its wielder powerful abilities, it is in fact utterly incapable of doing so. A Sacred Gears true purpose is that of a vessel. They were designed to contain the powers and souls of powerful beings. From an all-mighty Dragon to a tiny fairy, a Sacred Gear will imprison them inside its shell. The abilities that they are famed to grant are merely a consequence, nothing more than a side-effect of housing these beings.

That is why this my Twice Critical did not work. Without the soul of a Lesser Dragon to fuel its power it will not grant me any boost in power. Right now it was just an empty vessel, little more than a mundane piece of armor.

It was the same with Twilight Healing. The rings were merely a container for a soul that radiated the power of restoration. While I was uncertain, going off its nickname of "Smile of the Holy Mother", it is possible that its power stems from one of the spirits of the earth, a facet of Gaia herself. That would explain its ability to bypass magical resistance as our bodies are made from the fruits of the earth.

Twinkle Aegis, Tsubasa's Sacred Gear, is famed for housing a fairy with it. And by making a pact with the fairy it is possible to change the effects of the Gear.

That does not mean that it was impossible for me to craft a Sacred Gear, quite the opposite. My Twice Critical is capable of housing a soul just like the original could. It merely needed a soul to fill it.

In other words, all I have to do to make my Twice Critical work is to find a Dragon that is willing to part with its soul…yeah, like that's going to happen anytime soon.

In many ways the Sacred Gears reminded me of the history behind Kanshou and Bakuya. The famed blacksmith Gan Jiang was commissioned to forge an Imperial sword. His wife, Mo Ye, seeing her husband frustrated at his failures to forge such a blade, decided to sacrifice her own life to aid him.

To forge a sword that can reach the realm of the Gods, a human's life and essence is needed as a sacrifice. She threw herself into the furnace in front of her husband out of love, and in his grief he was able to craft the two masterpieces which he named Kanshou and Bakuya, the married twin swords. One to represent his wife and the other himself, the Yin and Yang.

They were masterpieces, unmatched by anything else Gan Jiang had ever forged before. The paired swords had the most remarkable ability to find the other; their attraction to one another will always lead one back to the other even if the other was lost.

Gan Jiang did not live long after he completed the blades. As he only gave up one of the blades but refused to relinquish the second sword, Kanshou, the one that represented himself, perhaps in hopes that it would somehow lead him back to his wife again someday. Regardless, his refusal to surrender the blade had resulted in him being executed by his king soon afterwards.

Sacred Gears, just like the two blades, require the sacrifice of a life to be forged.

I dismissed the false Twice Critical from my hand, hopped of my bed and made my way to the closet to get dressed for school. It wasn't worth it. The prize is not worth it if the sacrifice of life is the price.

I have seen many Magus walk down that path, willing to sacrifice anything in their quest for power. Sometimes that ended in failure while others times they got the power they were seeking, but I had never once seen them find any happiness for it. At that price, such a life has no meaning.

I picked up on my bag from the side of the door as I shoved my other arm into the sleeve of my jacket before existing my room and making my way down the stairs.

Spotting the _large_ pile of lunch boxes on the dining room table, I made a detour toward it to pick it up while crossing the kitchen entrance on my way there.

_*Beep*_

I stopped in my tracks and blinked in confusion as I heard a mildly alarming sound coming out of the kitchen.

_*Beep**Beep**Beep*_

The slight anxiety that I was feeling evolved into complete trepidation as I heard the noise again. With great reluctance I reversed my course and made my way back toward the kitchen entrance. I paused, unwilling to enter the room but knowing that I couldn't just ignore it.

_*Beep**Beep**Beep**Beep**Beep*_

I compromised and decided to stick my head in through the door while keeping most of my body hidden behind the wall and out of harm's way.

"Shirou!" Asia exclaimed as soon as she caught sight of me. "Thank god –Ouch! NOT NOW DAMN IT – Thank that ungrateful prick you're here! I need your help."

"Yes…I can see that" I deadpanned.

The kitchen was, to put it lightly, an utter mess. Cooking tools were scattered all over the counter and floor. Splashes of multicolored liquid stained every conceivable surface in the room including the ceiling and piles of badly chopped fruits and vegetables littered the floor and tables.

Asia didn't fare any better. Her face was covered with food stains and she was wearing what used to be a clean white apron that now looks as it had been vomited on by a drunken rainbow. In one hand she held a butcher knife that she was swinging arou nd in panic every time she spoke.

_*Beep**Beep**Beep**Beep**Beep**Beep*_

Was that the microwave?

"Shirou_,*Beep*_ help. I don't _*Beep*_ know what I _*Beep*_ did wrong _*Beep*_ but _*Beep*_ it _*Beep*_wouldn't _*Beep* _stop _*Beep*_ beeping-"

*Beeeeeeeeeeeeeep*

_**BOOM!**_

It was only that my superhuman reflexes that allowed me to react in time and pull my head back away from the eruption that sent a black billowing cloud exploding out into the kitchen and shooting through the door.

…I did not even know that was possible.

I mean, do microwaves work differently in this universe or is Asia's cooking so bad that the microwave just committed suicide and tried to take us all with it in some kind of Kamikaze attack?

By this point the smoke was beginning to clear so I carefully peered back into the Kitchen.

The kitchen and everything in it was completely covered in soot, it was as if someone had painted everything black. And poor Asia was no exception. She blended into the background of the room so well that the only reason why I could even tell she was there was thanks to the white of her eyes that were wide open with confusion.

"-Never mind Shirou, I fixed it." She croaked out, her snow-white teeth standing out from her soot covered skin as she spoke.

"…Do you need some help?" I reluctantly offered. Normally I'd be more than happy to help but I'm honestly terrified of entering the kitchen while Asia was still in there. I don't know if it was possible for the rest of the kitchen appliance to follow in the footsteps of the recently deceased microwave but I didn't want to find out. The very idea that my beloved kitchen, the place where I practice my art of cooking, trying to kill me would break my heart.

"No-" A cough interrupted her as a cloud of black smoke erupted from her mouth, "no, I'm fine. You need to get to school anyway. "

I tried not to look relived as I waved her goodbye, picked up the lunch boxes and walked out of the house as fast as I could without actually running. I also mentally added a new item to the list of things to keep Asia away from, at least when I'm in the vicinity. So far it's alcohol, internet porn and now cooking.

* * *

><p>"Checkmate." Sona declared after setting down the bishop.<p>

"Ah, well." I rubbed the back of my neck as I stared at the chess board. "Looks like I lost. Well it was fun but I really-

"Again."

"But we just-"

"Again." She repeated, a tone of finality in her voice.

I sighed in resignation as I began to help her rearrange the pieces on the board, all the while trying to ignore the snickering of the Student Council member around me.

Momo had stopped half way through filling some paperwork when she heard Sona's declaration of my defeat. She stood up and walked up to the large man sized blackboard that had recently been hung on one of the walls of the Student Council Room.

It had a vertical line drawn down the middle of it, dividing the blackboard in two. On the top of both halves were names, Sona's on the right and mine on the left. My side had nothing in the middle of it, just a clear blank space until you reached the very bottom where the number 0 was clearly written.

Sona's side was the complete opposite of mine. The middle of it was filled with dozens of tally marks, almost filling the entire space. On the very bottom of the board was the number 71.

Momo picked up a piece of chalk from a nearby table before approaching Sona's side of the board and added an additional tally mark, and despite the stoic/bored expression she wore I knew, just knew, that she took vindictive glee as she ever so slowly erased the number in the bottom and scratched out the number 72.

Seventy two, I had suffered seventy two continues losses. Just looking at that number sent a knife of pain through me as my pride took another hit. For the last five straight days, ever since the training I had given them, Sona has dragged me into the Student Council office where she repeatedly forced me into a game of chess. She proceeded to kick my ass in every possible way, and I do mean every way.

I've had games where she beat me in as little as seven moves, while at other times she repeatedly spared me as she hunted down all of my pieces one by one until the King remained. Then instead of killing me she proceeded to hunt my King across the board for the better part of fifteen minutes before she decided to put me out of my misery. Or more likely she simply got bored; she seemed to be all out of mercy these days.

All the while she made sure to have the rest of the Student Council watch while it was happening. Going by the barely concealed smirks and snickers it seemed that they were enjoying the show.

Yeah, they may been a little sore about training.

What I didn't understand was why did it _burn_ so much to lose? I didn't even like chess for Maou's sake but my pride, my poor shattered and abused pride, hurt so much at the thought of this little wisp of a girl kicking my ass seventy two times in a row at anything.

The rest of the Student Council's smirks were not helping either. Is this bullying? Am I being bullied?

Sona, being a Devil of Pride like me, probably knew exactly what to do to hit me in mine while not actually doing anything wrong. I mean what am I supposed to say? Mr. Principle, the bullies are beating me at chess. No, they're not beating me with a chess set but in an actual chess game and it really hurts my feelings so tell them to stop. I'd get laughed at, which will probably grind the remaining fragments of my broken Pride to dust. And if Serafall ever found out it wouldn't surprise me if she decided to cheer her little 'So-tan' on…in a cheerleader's outfit with pom poms.

I let out a sigh before picking up one of the pawns and moving it two spaces forward. Oh well, considering what I put them through I'm getting off pretty cheaply. And at least this will give me an opportunity to talk to Sona.

"Did you speak to Gremory yet?" I asked as she instantly replied to my opening move.

She nodded, "While I avoided any details I was able to impart the need for us to prepare and train. All she knows was that I had been able to figure out part of the reason why you're really here and that we needed to get stronger fast."

"So does she plan to come to me for training?"

"There is no need," She used her bishop to capture my knight, "Rias intends to take her entire Peerage to one of her family's villas in the mountains for a ten day training camp and has already arranged for a trainer. She had contacted her brother and requested to borrow his knight, Okita Souji, to coach them for the duration."

"Really? I'm surprised, I never thought she would willing go to Sirzechs for help in anything. How did you convince her to do that?"

"While I didn't mention anything about your true purpose here, I did impart that not only our lives but that of our Peerage were in danger. Say what you want about Rias but she is more than willing to swallow her pride when it comes to keeping her Peerage safe. They'll be leaving in a couple of weeks' time."

I was secretly relieved at that. I have been avoiding the Gremory ever since our first meeting but I knew I couldn't keep away from her for long, not if I wanted to protect her. However if Okita is going to take care of them I won't have to deal with that problem for a while longer.

Now that issue was settled, it was time to broach the newest problem that happened to crop up.

"So, have you heard about the theft?" I asked as I tried to think of my next move.

"Theft?" She repeated, clearly confused by the question. I guess no one told her. "Shirou, what are you talking about?"

Instead of answering, I reached into my inner breast pocket and pulled out the folded up report I received last night and handed it to her. She took it from me and began to peruse it while I continued to think of a next move.

It was several minutes later that Sona finished reading, just as I had decided to move my knight. "Four of the Excaliburs were stolen? How did they pull that off? All of the Excalibur's fragments were stored in separate churches all across Europe yet they stole four of the seven at the exact same time." She didn't even bother to look down at the board as she played her next move.

When I first heard that the Excalibur in this world was broken my first thought was disbelief. In my world Excalibur was the strongest holy sword in existence, one that cannot simply be referred as beautiful because its appearance was so unmatched that to call it merely 'beautiful' would only dirty it.

My second thought was gratitude that Saber was not her to hear about the fate of her beloved sword. I was not sure if it was possible for King Arthur to have a heart attack but I didn't want to find out.

I grimaced as it became apparent that my king was getting cornered. "Yes but that wasn't the most remarkable part of the entire thing."

"You're talking about the guards?"

I nodded as I moved my king. Sona instantly played her move as soon as I let go of the chess piece and I had to bite back the urge to cuss. "No one was killed. Do you realize how strange that is?"

She absently nodded as she thought about it, "Why would they bother sparing them. Breaking into such well-guarded places to steal the Excaliburs would be difficult enough as it is. Why would they make it even harder on themselves by sparing the guards? The chances of something going wrong increases exponentially for each guard they spared but they did it anyway."

She shut her eyes to focus on the mystery, "It's not like it would lessen the wrath of the Church by sparing them after stealing the swords. The Church may have been happier to have dead guards but kept the swords then the other way around, so there is no way they'd show any leniency no matter how merciful the thieves acted. And if the perpetrators wanted to harm or weaken the Church it would have been better to simply kill the guards."

I nodded in agreement. The Excaliburs were not guarded by run of the mill security guards, but they were protected by some of the best exorcists the Church has. If they had killed them instead of sneaking by or incapacitating them, they would have significantly weakened the Church's manpower. At least of the human variety.

"So it was an inside job?" She thought aloud, "No, the Excaliburs were guarded by different sects. There is no way that could happen."

Despite the humans of the Heaven Faction identifying themselves as the Church, they were not actually a united group. They were divided into several different sects, ranging from small to large in size, each with their own set of beliefs and command structures. Some of the major sects were the Roman Catholic Church, the Easter Orthodox Church and the Protestants.

Each of the Excaliburs were guarded by different Sects. And while they were officially on the same side, the Sects rarely got along with one another. That was why the idea of an inside job is laughable. The Sects had trouble even agreeing on the smallest and simplest of issues. That a clandestine group of people from several different sects were able to work together so coherently that they were capable of pulling off an elaborate and well-timed theft like this without anybody finding out was as close to impossible as you can get.

"Surprisingly the Church hasn't accused Devils of the theft." I said, drawing Sona away from her thoughts. "It seems that the lack of death or destruction, in addition to the theft occurring on holy ground, has convinced the majority of the Church that it wasn't our side that did it."

"Yes," she nodded in agreement after thinking about it, "not to mention that Devils can't even hold an ordinary Holy Blade let alone an Excalibur. There was no way we could have done it. It's still your turn by the way."

Damn it. I looked down at the chess set and moved a random piece forward, hoping it I would get lucky and get out of this mess. Looks like she'd learned from the last time I tried to distract her with news.

"Speaking of weapons," She was wearing a smug smile as she looked down on the chess board after my latest move though she did not respond yet, "I've been meaning to ask you about the one you gave Tsubaki."

Ah, that's right. I had almost completely forgotten about it. From the edge of eye I caught Tsubaki looking up from her work as she heard Sona bring up the topic. I turned towards her and asked, "Tsubaki, could you please summoning it here? It will be easier to explain that way."

After a questioning glance towards Sona, who gave her a nod, she summoned the halberd that same way she did with her Naginata. The weapon soon dropped into her hands and she twirled it around so that the blade was pointed upwards and the butt of the shaft was placed firmly on the ground.

"Its name is Houtengeki," I began, "a one of a kind halberd crafted in ancient China. It is in every meaning of the word a masterpiece and if you search the entire world you'll never find another halberd that can match it. What distinguished it from any other type of weapon is its versatility that allows it to use all the major characteristic of all other two-handed type of weapons, allowing it to be effective in slashing, thrusting, battering, scything and sweeping.

"However that is just as much a flaw as a blessing in its design, as it takes a lot of skill to handle this weapon. It would not be inaccurate to say that in order to master it you need to the skill to wield several different types of weapon. It is an incredibly difficult weapon to learn how to wield proficiently and will take years even for the most talented fighter to completely master. In the almost two thousand years that the Houtengeki has existed only one man has ever successfully mastered it."

"The most remarkable aspect about this particular weapon is how it's destructive power varies with the skill of its wielder. The more skilled the user the more powerful the halberd becomes, while in the hands of an amateur it becomes little more than a pointy stick."

"At maximum strength it is said to have the capacity to pierce anything in the world, from the strongest of armor to the scales of dragons and even the flesh of Gods."

At this point, everyone in the Council room was staring at the weapon with looks of shock and awe. The flabbergasted expressions on the usually stoic faces of Sona, Tsubaki and Momo were especially hilarious.

Again, I felt a part of me preen with pride at the looks they were giving one of my blades, I almost felt like a peacock showing off his feathers. I took a second to simply bask in the sensation. It was wonderful feeling to have your work recognized and acknowledged after all.

It wasn't unexpected that the Houtengeki's capabilities had caught them by surprise. Unlike the Calabolg II, the Houtengeki didn't radiate as much power even though they could clearly tell it was a remarkable weapon. That was only natural; after all it's true power can only be unlocked when in the hands of a wielder skilled enough to master it.

"Shirou," Sona said, after finally regaining her ability to speak, "did you give my Queen a potentially God slaying weapon? Just like that?" The look she was giving me was the one she usually reserves for Serafall, particularly when she does something incredible stupid or insane.

I shrugged in reply, "I had no use for it." That was true, even with my capability to mimic the skill of the old wielders I could not draw out the Houtengeki's true potential. Its shape was a little too dissimilar to that of a sword for me to perfectly replicate the skills. "Such a weapon would be wasted on someone like me who will just leave it somewhere to collect dust. I'm sure the Houtengeki will be much happier with Tsubaki than with me. Besides I broke her old one, it was only natural for me to replace it."

She shot me a scrutinizing look, "You make it sound like you have a lot of weapons."

I cast my mind to the endless field of swords of my Reality Marble and simply stated, "Yes."

"Who?" Someone questioned from my left. I looked to discover it had been Tsubaki, "You said that only one man in history ever mastered the Houtengeki. Who was it?"

"He was Lu Bu, a man whose skill in battle has carved him a place as a legend in China's history."

"A hero?" Sona asked, "You gave her a legendary hero's weapon?"

I shook my head, "Lu Bi was many great things, but he was no hero."

"Wait, just wait a sec Aniki." I resisted the urge to shudder at being called that name. While I didn't mind it at first, once I found out _why _Saji called me that I quickly came to hate it. Hopefully I'll be able to persuade him to change his dream, or at the very least not shout it out loud, before Serafall meets him or else Sona is going to have to find herself a new Pawn. "You make it sound like you have hundreds of these things lying about. Does that mean you can give away dozens of weapons and not even notice them missing?"

"While that was not what I meant to imply, yes I can and I know what you are going to ask next Saji and I'm afraid the answer is no, I'm not giving away any more of my blades." I told him. "You have to understand that most powerful magical swords and weapons are not something anyone can wield. Think about how Holy Swords would only allow their chosen user to wield them, the same thing applies to most of my blades.

"The Houtengeki is one of the only handful of weapon I have that can be used by anybody but even it would refuse to grant its wielder the entirety of its power unless they prove themselves worthy of it."

Saji seemed to deflate a little at my words. I couldn't entirely blame him for his disappointment. If I couldn't trace my own swords I also would have wanted one of them for myself too.

"Now Shirou," Sona cut in, "If you are done distracting me I have something to tell you."

"And what's that?" I asked her.

She smirked at me and moved her rook forward, "Checkmate."

* * *

><p>The green leaves overhead rustled in their branches as a warm summer breeze swept through the park. It sent ripples running through the still water of the lake, momentarily distorting the reflection of the clear blue skies.<p>

The park was surprisingly empty despite the warm day. Though that could be due to the time, school just ended after all and most kids have either went straight to home or to the nearby shopping center while most of the adults were still at work. The only reason why I was even here was because I decided to take a bit of detour on my way home.

Another breeze swept thought the park, ruffling the bangs of my hair as I walked beside the lake and enjoyed the view. Still, if I had known a place like this existed I would have come here earlier. Maybe I'll bring Asia here for a barbeque or something if it was allowed. Though going by my luck I better prepare a meal for seven as I had a feeling a certain cat will find her way here.

I took a seat on one of the benches lining the road, on the opposite side from the lake but facing it, allowing me an unobstructed view. I decided to relax for a moment and think over how my job has been going so far.

All in all, things have been going surprisingly well. If you discount the whole Fallen incident, everything is on track. I was able to convince the girls to improve the amount and quality of the Bounded Field in their territory, have begun training Sona and her Peerage and while I'm not the one going to train the Gremory's she has arranged a competent fighter to train them.

While I don't know much about Souji Okita personally, having only met him a couple of times and exchange only a few words, I did catch a glimpse of his sword. That was all I needed to know that Gremory's Peerage would be in safe hands.

"It was written by men, you know."

Huh? I shook my head to snap myself out of my thoughts and looked around. I thought I was completely alone but it looks like I was wrong, I must have been completely out of it to not notice someone approaching. There sitting on a park bench across the road from me and a little bit to my left was a man.

He was clad in a simple white buttoned up shirt with plain black trousers. Around his neck hung a small silver cross which dangled on the middle of his chest. In his hand he held an open Bible that he was currently leafing through.

_Beautiful. _No other word could accurately describe the man. I had once thought that Kiba had a face that can make even girls envious; if so then this is man can make even the Angels jealous. His beauty was just that unnatural.

The wind gentle caressed his raven tresses sending it drifting slowly about his face. His hair curled ever so slightly as it fell down from his head and onto his shoulders, so dark they seemed to have been painted from the night sky. His skin was a healthy and flawless pink, unmarred in anyway by even the slightest imperfection.

Sky blue eyes shone out of his aristocratic face, which was currently held a look of relaxed contemplation as he studied the bible with a small smile. Slim shoulders and waist, he could have easily been mistaken as a girl from afar. The hands which he turned the pages of the bible with were soft and smooth, a scholar's hands, free of callouses and scars.

He looked so inhumanly perfect, that I actually used my magic to search for any illusion. When they came back negative I used my magic to examine myself to see if my mind was tempered in anyway. But no this was not trick, no illusion, he really was that beautiful.

While I was still inexperienced in the sensing out magic I was quickly become fairly proficient at it, so I cast my Devil Senses about him to see if I could discover anything. He was magical, of that I had no doubt but as far as I can tell he was human with only a bit above average magical reserves. That could either mean that that he has some limited experience in magic or he was simply one of the lucky people to be born with good magic reserves.

"The Bible that is." He leafed through another page as he spoke.

"Huh?" was my eloquent reply.

He shut the bible and held it up to me, "The Bible, it was written by men not God. Christ never penned it himself and it was written many years after he passed away by his devoted followers. Although they did that completely from memory so it was unlikely for them to have gotten it right."

I tilted my head at that, "So…why are you reading it then? If you're that certain that is was man-made then you have no reason to read it. After all it won't lead you to God."

He smiled at that, it reminded of warm rays of sunlight after a stormy night, "Ah, but I wasn't looking for God in these pages. I was looking for man. When you create something you always leave a little bit of yourself in it. A reflection of your true nature." He ran his fingers over the surface of the book, "So I search through these pages to find a reflection of mankind."

"I'm surprised." I told him, "Going by the cross you were I wearing would have figured you for a Christian."

"Oh I am." He picked up the cross as he spoke, "I am a follower of God and believe that Christ was his gift upon all of mankind." He let go of the cross and allowed it to thump onto his chest. "Just because I don't believe the Bible to be completely accurate does not mean I don't believe in God."

"Then why are you reading the Bible if you believe it was made by humans?"

"That's because humans are so very fascinating. Even God himself was fascinated by them. He had created countless of different species but he held mankind above them all. Even his loyal and flawless angels he commanded to bow down to Adam, the father of all humans." He set the bible down onto his lap and traced the engraved title with his fingers. "So from the very beginning I wanted to know, what made them so special. What was it about them that had captivated even the All-Mighty himself. That is why I look for them in these pages."

He leaded tilted back his head and peered up into the sky, and I swear at that very moment the sun began to shine brighter as it came out from behind a cloud, "Let me tell you a little story." He began.

"Once long ago when the world was still young and new, God gathered all of his creations before them and asked 'Who among you will carry the burden of free will?'

"At the time, every creature was under Gods commands. They followed his will to the letter, never questioning nor disobeying. God however was saddened by this as it meant that they did not follow him because they desired to but because they could not comprehend doing anything else. While all of his creations can make choices of their own, they can never go against anything he has decided on, not even to question a single command.

"Thus he created the ability for his creations to choose and named it 'free will'. But then came the question of who to gift it to, as free will was not something to be treated lightly, as in many ways it was as much of a curse as it was a gift.

"So when he gathered all of his creations he turned first to his Angels, creatures of light so beautiful and noble that he has chosen them to act as his voice. He asked them if they desired the gift but they replied, 'No Lord, we are your servants, your will and voice. We desire nothing more than to continue to serve you as such.'

"He then turned to the mountains themselves, those that can lift the weight of the earth with ease, he asked them if they desired the gift but they replied, 'No Lord, we cannot lift such a burden. Even our mighty shoulder will collapse under such a weight.'

"Again and again God asked his creations and each in turn rejected his gift. That is until he reached the humans.

"When he asked man if they would desire the gift, they answered "Yes Lord, we would gladly bear such a gift." And then God rejoiced, for at long last he would have someone that would _choose_ to follow him.

"When God dispersed his creations back to where they belong, he returned the humans down to earth and watched over them. As he did, so did all of the inhabitants in heaven came to watch as well, curious about what these humans would do with their free will.

"At first the humans continued to live their lives as normal, seemly unaffected by their gift of free will. That illusion however was quickly dispelled barely an hour later. One of the humans had found himself in a position where he had to make a choice. It was an important decision, one that could potentially affect the rest of his life. So using the intellect his species were famed for combined with his new found free will, he quickly decided on what to do. Do you know what he did next?" He lowered his gaze towards mine as he asked me.

I shook my head, "No idea."

A sardonic smirk graced his lips as he said, "The human turned towards the Heavens and yelled out, 'Lord, tell me what to do!'"

I couldn't help it, I broke out laughing. The idea was so funny because I could picture it happening. It was such a _human_ thing to do I'm surprised I didn't see it coming. When I finally collected myself I found him smiling indulgently at me.

"That, son of man, was the exact same reaction that the rest of Heaven had. I along with many of my Angel brethren laughed at the sight. We believed that our Lord had chosen wrongly, that the humans were unworthy of bearing such a gift. We all turned towards God to tell him so but held our tongues when we saw him.

"Father was not laughing, nor was he upset or in any way angry. He merely watched down upon the humans with the same infinite patience he always had for his children. So we decided to say nothing and turned back towards watching the humans.

"The human, not receiving his reply, turned back towards the heavens and ask the Lord once again. Then again, and again, and once again. Over and over he repeated 'tell me what to do' rather than even attempt to figure it out for himself. After a long while, it finally dawned on the human that the Lord was not going to reply. That's when the prayers for help turned to curses of hatred.

"He cursed his name and insulted him in every way he could think of. All the while, God didn't react; he merely continued to watch over him silently and patiently. At last his insults ran dry and after yelling out that he did not need God or his help that he can decide on his own he left and did just that.

"Over the centuries the very same scene repeated many countless of times. Man would ask for God to command them on what to do and when they received no answer they cursed him before trying to solve their problem on their own.

"At first it was almost painful for us in Heaven to watch. You humans kept stumbling around, making the same mistake time and time again, only to start over and repeat them with each new generation. Many of the Angels turned away, unable to bear watching any longer. Father however continued to watch, never once did he ever stop watching over your kind.

"Then one day, something different happened. Man began to _learn._ It was the most remarkable thing I had ever seen." At my look of confusion he elaborated, "You must understand when God created us Angels, he made us perfect. We were unchanging beings, an eon can past and we would behave no differently than we did the day we were born. Why would we? God made us perfect, and perfect we remained.

"But you human, you _changed_. You grew, you became _more_ than what God made you to be. More than he intended you to be. Through your own will and abilities you have surpassed even Adam and Eve, the humans who God crafted with his own hands. And you did so with no help or guidance from the Lord.

"Quickly, that change continued. I watched as mankind learned. How their once endless failure began to turn to success, mistakes became lessons to be learned. Eventually man grew in number until they became so large that they spread all over the globe, outnumbering any other race. Even then they did not stop there; as such an accomplishment was not enough to satisfy them.

"Man, despite all the years, still remembered the splendor of Heaven and tried to match it. They tried to create a Kingdom of their own to rival it. The gathered all the riches and the greatest craftsmen in all their lands and began to build a city to try and rival God's own. A 'Kingdom of Heaven' I believed they called it.

"They failed of course. But just like at the start, they kept trying over and over again…And while they still failed they kept getting better and closer to Heaven's splendors. One needs only to look upon the wonder that was Camelot to realize that." I barely restrained myself from flinching at that name.

He let out a sigh as he lost himself in memories, "I thought for sure they were about to succeed but I never got to find out if Father's faith in them was right, as alas they were stopped."

"By who?" I prompted when it didn't look like the Angel, who pretended to be a man, was about to continue. While I had no idea why one of Heaven's soldiers would wanted to speak to me, I had to admit I was curious to hear what he had to say.

"Devils." He answered. "You have to understand that back then they were different than what they have become today; they were truly vile and evil creatures. They still are mind you, but back then it was in an entirely different level. So much so that the current Lucifer would sooner spit at them then call one of those filth kin.

"That was the start of the Great War. God did not want to interfere with the affairs of Mankind because he wanted to see them grow. To witness them fulfil their true potential that even God himself could not predict the limit of. That was why he never answered their prayers for guidance. He wanted earth to be free from the influence of both Heaven and Hell so that Man can grow unhindered.

"So when he witnessed the Devils encroaching in the domain of Man, corrupting them and twisting their minds, he went to war to protect them. And the rest," he shrugged sadly, "was as they say history."

He looked back up at the clear blue skies, "Still, I've always wondered what would have happened if the Devils had not come. How far would mankind have reached?"

"Humans are not all that great you know." I told him, feeling a little bit ashamed at my original race and at the truth of my words. "I have seen some commit sins that even the most coldhearted of Devils would shy away from. Atrocities so horrifying, that it would make you lose all hope in humanity."

He nodded knowingly at that. "That is true. Even I cannot deny those words. It is why I have always compared humanity as a whole to the night sky."

I frowned in confusion, "In what way?"

"An endless darkness. The night sky is dark and foreboding, it blankets the world and would cause even the bravest of souls to despair, and what little light you do find is always outnumber by the ever encroaching darkness, fighting a battle that it will eventual lose.

"The human soul, no humanity as a whole is like that – pitch black. There are so much lies, hypocrisy, betrayals, hatred and rage that it stains their very souls black. It is why when I look over the sea of human souls all I can perceive is a near endless sea of darkness. It is enough to paint the entire sky black and the few good souls, those flickers of light that shine so bright are so very far apart."

He shut his eyes for a moment before turning and staring right at me, "But do you know what is the first thing that I always think of when I imagine the night sky?"

"What?"

"The stars, "he looked back up to the sky as if he was staring at the very sky he spoke of, "I think of the stars.

"Why is it that when we think of the night sky we do not picture a pitch black sky but a sea of shining stars? The human soul is like that. Flicker of lights on a backdrop of darkness. Our eyes can't help but be drawn to them, captivated by their light.

"Even though we know that the darkness is infinitely more than the light, one limitless while the other limited. That between each radiant star there is a near endless nothingness that divides them, yet when I think of space, when I think of the night, all I can picture are stars.

"They captivate me, those lone few that shine. They draw my eyes to them so that I no longer notice anything else but them. And I love them for it.

"To me humanity is not the many who do wrong, but the few who do right despite how very hard it is to do so. And they do it for no other reason than _it is right_. That is why I _adore_ humans." He turned to look at me, "Humans like you."

I shook my head at the Angel, "I'm no human, not anymore at least."

He gave me a proud beaming smile, one that reminded me so much of Kiritsugu that I felt my heart ache, before standing up and walking towards me.

"You are," he said when he stood before me. Slowly, he reached out and pressed his open palm onto the middle of my chest. "Even though your flesh has been corrupted by them, I can see past it and peer into your very soul. And what I find there is the spirit of man blazing so brightly that it outshines all but one other that I have seen before."

Before I could even think of stopping him, he took off his cross and placed it around my neck.

I reflexively grimaced, shut my eyes and braced myself for the burning pain…that never came? I slowly pried open my eyes and looked down on the silver cross that rested on my chest, glinting innocuously in the sunlight.

OK. That should have hurt me, a lot at that.

Ever since my reincarnation as a Devil I had been warned repeatedly not to touch any holy objects and crosses were on the very top of the list. Even if held through gloves, indirect physical contact is enough to burn any Devil. Even the Maous are not immune to it.

While there weren't any holy objects in the Underworld for obvious reasons so I never had the chance to personally touch a cross, if I had ever been masochistic enough to want to, I know for a fact that I'm supposed to be feeling a lot of searing pain at this moment.

Cautiously, I poked the cross with a finger before quickly pulling my hand back as if it would grow teeth and bite me. Seeing that nothing happened I touched it again, before cradling the cross in the palm of my hand and staring it in wonder.

I looked back up at the Angel before me, smiling radiantly down at my no doubt confused face.

"Why does the cross not burn you?" He spoke my unasked question. "Even I do not know for sure. Is it due to that thing you hold inside of you? The one that radiates such a familiar warmth. Or perhaps it's just you, Child of Adam; perhaps there is something just so unique about you. Or maybe it is something else entirely.

"I do not know for sure, all I do know is that when I look into you I do not see a soul corrupted by the Devil's taint, even though it wears the flesh of one. I see an untouched human soul that still holds mankind's limitless potential. So in every way that matters Shirou, you are human."

Giving me one more radiant smile he turned and walked away. Once again a breeze rippled throughout the park, this time strong enough to lift the Angel's hair momentarily, revealing long pointed elf-like ears.

After walking several paces away he half-turned back towards me, "Emiya Shirou, you who are one of Adam's children, allow me the honor of introducing myself to you."

Ten bird-like wings erupted out of his back, confirming my suspicion that he was an Angel. Unfortunately I was wrong about what kind.

The smile he gave me was one of unconditional benevolence and compassion, before he placed his right hand over his heart and bent his waist into a small bow, as all the while raven colored feathers gently drifted in the air around us. "I am Kokabiel, the Fallen Noble of the Stars, one of the Lords of Girgori," straightening out his bow he sent me one final smile, "And I shall be the one to deliver the will of God upon the earth."

Then in a flutter of feathers, he was gone.

For a long while I just stared at the spot he was last standing in, as black feathers danced in the breeze, before I collapsed back onto the bench and let out a frustrated sigh.

So… that was Kokabiel. The same Kokabiel that I was sent to guard against, that I was to protect the children from, the Fallen that wishes to start a war and the one who I was ordered to kill if deemed necessary. That Kokabiel.

…Well, that sucks.

* * *

><p>Kicking off the ground, I spun in my chair as I stared up at my room's ceiling. It had been three days since I met Kokabiel and I have used up every resource I had available to try and find him ever since. I failed.<p>

That shouldn't have been possible. I was already keyed into the Bounded Fields in the Devil's territory so I would now be alerted to each and every magical presence passing the through the Fields. I've also had every familiar in the city looking out for him and the guards keeping an eye out for any traces of the Fallen.

All for nothing it seems. As far as I could tell, Kokabiel was gone. There was no trace of him in the city whatsoever, which was supposed to be impossible. The crows, due to their small reserves, were especially sensitive to any form of magical presence. Even the weakest of Fallen could not hide from them, hell they were even able to sense Issei.

One of the Bounded fields that the guards place over the city prevented anyone from teleporting themselves in unless they were Devils or someone in the city summoned them. While it was feasible for someone to summon Kokabiel out of the city the reverse shouldn't have been possible, simply because there was no one in city who could have done it.

We checked, I had the guards' familiar follow all known magic users in the city or anyone who had enough magic reverse to pull it off and all of them were cleared. Not one of them could have summoned Kokabiel. So how did he get in here? And if he really left how does he expect to get back in?

At this point I was tempted to call in all the guards patrolling the city and have them guard the kids directly, secret or no secret, but I ruled it off as a stupid idea. This was Kokabiel, a Fallen that fought and flourished during the Great War, where he distinguished enough that he was named in the Bible. If rumors of his strength were in anyway accurate, than the guards would barely slow him down before he massacres them.

My other reason is that there is always the small possibility of the heightened security scaring him off. I'm under no delusion that if he leaves this city alone he would just stop his quest for war. No, he would simply go and try somewhere else, someplace where we're less prepared. Despite the risks, it would be better for everyone involved if he was dealt with here and now.

My chair's spinning slowed to a stop so I kicked off the floor again. I have already ordered the guards not to inform anybody of Kokabiel's sighting, not even the Maous. Or perhaps I should say especially not the Maous. If either Sirzechs or Serafall even caught wind that someone as dangerous as Kokabiel had gotten so close to their sisters entirely undetected they would charge in here guns blazing.

For a group of people claiming to desire peace the Maous can be a surprisingly trigger happy bunch. Well that's not true only half of them are like that, the other half are more than happy to ignore the world around them in favor of their own little hobbies…How the hell did these people became leaders of an entire race again?

Either way I had no intention of any of them catching wind of this until I had dealt with everything. It was a good thing I was given direct command of the guards or else I wasn't sure if they would have listened to my orders.

As my chairs slowed to a halt my eyes caught sight of the cross that sat in the middle of my desk. Then there was that thing. I had no idea how it happened but it appeared I was immune to anything holy.

I tested myself with everything from other holy crosses to holy water and even prayer. I went as far as traveling to a small chapel in a nearby town and tried praying to god while holding a Bible and having a priest bless me. Nothing, I felt not a single damn thing, not so much as a heart burn.

I did make sure to keep this a secret, not because I feared how other Devils may react so much as I was terrified of Asia's reaction. I had no idea what she would do if she ever found out I could pray to God and she couldn't, but I had no intention of ever finding out.

Shaking my head, I pushed off the ground and rolled my chair towards the desk where a small stack of files waited for me. They were reports on both Sona's and the Gremory's Peerage. While I had already received basic profiles about them before I had even arrived here, it was clear that it wasn't enough.

I still remember Koneko's look of abject terror just from my unexpected touch. How she shivered in place, ready to bolt at even the smallest sign of aggression. No, it clearly wasn't enough.

I had intended to look into her past far earlier but I had been delayed by the Kokabiel issue. However since everything to do with him has led to a dead end so far I have found myself with enough spare time to get back to it.

Reaching out towards the files, I searched for Koneko's and pulled it out of the pile before opening it and pouring the pages onto the desk before me. Ignoring the information about her combat abilities, something I already knew, and her time with the Gremorys, I quickly sought out the information about her early history.

When I finally found the pages I was looking for, I separated them form the rest and leaned back on my chair as I began reading the report. But as soon as I glance at the first paragraph I almost leapt out of my chair in surprise.

What the hell? This can't be right!

Almost the entirety of the first page had been censored out. Sentences and entire paragraphs were crossed out with thick black lines. I quickly skimmed through the rest of the pages and had found nearly half of the file had been censored.

But that doesn't make any sense. I didn't withdraw these files from the public archive, I used my authority as a Maou's Queen to get them. I had access to more classified information that even the Clan heads of the 72 Pillars. I was even allowed to know about God's death and most of the Underworld's dirty secrets. There shouldn't be anything here that I wasn't allowed to see.

So why was this censored out, a mistake? I picked up Koneko's folder and looked at the front cover. Printed out in large red fonts was 'Authorized to be read by Emiya Shirou's eyes only'. So no, it wasn't a mistake.

Setting the folder back down, I frowned at the new mystery that I had ended up stumbling over. As if I needed another. It seems that there is more to our little cat than I thought. I picked up her file again and began reading. For now, I'll have to make do with what I have on hand. But what I get back to the Underworld, I'm gonna be having a few words with whoever was censoring these files.

I began to read about what was available on Koneko's history, and the further I read about her the darker it seemed to get. Toujou Koneko, born as Shirone, was a Nekomata who was a part of a rare and dying sub-species known as _Nekoshou_. Orphaned at young age, she and her sister, Kuroka, were forced to live on the streets for several years before they were taken in by a Devil named Alexander Shax, who recruited Kuroka into his peerage as a Bishop.

For a while things began to look up for Koneko but that didn't last long before disaster struck. Her sister Kuroka was a practitioner of the Art of Senjutsu and had one day had lost control of her power, causing her to go on a rampage which resulted in the death of their master. Kuroka was able to quickly escape and a man-hunt was formed in an effort to capture her, however in her haste to escape she had left her sister behind.

This incident has caused the relationship between Devils and Yokai, which has already been strained badly in recent years, to become utterly shredded. The death of Alexzander Shax had sparked what was basically a witch hunt in the Underworld for Nekoshous. Within the week almost the entire remaining Nekoshous were either driven out of the Underworld or lynched, resulting in over twenty three death. None of the people responsible for the lynching were ever arrested or charged.

During this time Koneko was immediately captured and imprisoned. She had been kept in captivity for almost two months before she was even trialed.

The more I read, the more my temper built. I could feel what little control I had fraying at the seams as I read at how an innocent ten year old girl was arrested for committing no crime, how they left her to rot in a prison for months and how they were about to legally execute her and only though the quick intervention of Sirzechs was her life even spared.

I had never felt more gratefully to Sirzechs in my life in that moment but whatever gratitude I felt had quickly evaporated when I read the lines and what remaining restrained I still had snapped.

"Sirzechs you complete and utter moron! You gave an emotionally unstable and abused child to a 12 year old girl _AS A PET_!" I slammed my hands onto the table with so much force it actually fractured it as I leapt out and yelled. "I don't care how many hugs and kisses your sister gives her, that will not help heal the wounds, just mask it."

I just glared at the file before me as if it was responsible for this. I thought back to the day on the roof when we first met, to her terrified eyes, how she trembles and shivered from an unexpected touch. I thought of the face so empty of emotion, something that should never be worn by a child. How long has she been wearing it? How long has she been hiding her emotions? I remember the small glimpse of her soul, of a girl building walls around herself. Too long, I decided.

No, that girl's wounds were anything but healed.

I actually snarled as I read the next line. Rias Gremory changed her name to Koneko, _Koneko._ Japanese for kitten. She named a girl kitten? And no one told her that she wasn't supposed to be her _pet!_

I didn't blame the Gremory girl for this, oh no, she was just as innocent as Koneko in this whole thing. She was nothing more than a child back then. It was painfully obvious to anyone she treated Koneko as best as she knew how. But what the hell was Sirzechs thinking giving the responsibility of another thinking feeling living being, _not an animal, _to a twelve year old?

Quickly skimming through the rest of the file I realized he didn't even arrange any form of therapy. He just dumped her on Rias Gremory's lap and left Koneko's recovery entirely up to her, since as part of her Peerage it was her responsibility. She was _twelve_! Why you place the responsibility of an abused child in the hands of another child! Am I the only one who sees the insanity in that?

I couldn't take it anymore; I just shoved the entire file off the table and collapsed back into my chair. Leaning my head as far back into the headrest as I could, I shut my eyes and took deep breath as I forced myself to calm down and think.

What were you thinking Sirzechs? I know you're not stupid, far from it. You wouldn't do something like this unless you had very good reason but for the life of me I can't figure out what.

I know that Gremory treated Koneko well, as best as she was able to. Of that I had no doubt, but she was simply not equipped to take care of physically abused and emotionally scarred little girl and I know Sirzechs was aware of that too. So why did he give Koneko to her?

_Enough_. There was no point thinking about it, the past was the past and there was nothing I could change it. I cast my eyes around the room for something, anything to direct me from my current thoughts.

When my eyes landed on the files of the rest of the Peerage, I decided that researching their pasts would be as good a distraction as anything. I picked up the top folder and began reading them.

By the time I was finished I just stared at the file in disbelief. Quickly I reached out to the other file and read that too, then the other and the other.

"W-what the hell is going on?"

Kiba, Akeno, Gasper and hell even Issei, all of them, every single last one of her Peerage were dead or about to die when she recruited them. All of them except Issei had no home to return to. That's just not possible.

_Rias has never actually had to work at convincing any one of them to join her. Half of them were either dead or dying when she found them and the other half had no place to return to and were more or less homeless orphans._

Sona's words came back to me as I looked over the file. I knew she said that but I thought she was exaggerating. Even if you take into account a Devil's luck, Gremory's is nowhere near strong enough to explain this. Nothing less than a Super Devil can come close to explaining this luck.

And it all happened in such a short span of time. Rias ended up recruiting Akeno just a week after she gained her Evil Piece Set. And from then she went on to recruit Koneko, Kiba and Gasper in less than two years. How many dead or dying children does she keep running into? She was a Clan Heir, a glorified princess, why did her watchers even allowed her to come close to a place where children die? And why did this only happen after she received her Peerage set?

_Each and every one of her Peerage just seemed to fall onto her lap with her barely having to lift a finger. To make matter even more unbelievable, every one of them either has a powerful Sacred Gears or a powerful bloodline._

And every one of them happened to be first-rate Peerage material? Not even one was an ordinary human? No, not possible. The odds of that happening are so small it might as well be zero. There are too many coincidences for this to be just chance. Someone must have arranged this. Someone must have set this all up…

… Sirzechs you Bastard!

No- no that's impossible. Now I'm just projecting my feelings. Think about it. I know Sirzechs and while he is many things, he is not a cold blooded-murderer. Especially not of children, there is no way he'd ever hurt one. He wouldn't – lift_ a finger to harm so much as a hair on his head – _Rias Gremory's words interrupted my thoughts

…he would just take advantage of their deaths. Not for himself, but his sister – _Rias always had incredible luck when it comes to finding her peerage. It was like the hand of some god guiding her._

An act of God and an act of a Devil can seem remarkably similar at times.

Quickly I picked up Kiba's file again and scanned through it. Kiba was one of the victims of the 'Holy Sword Project'. Valper Galilei, the person in charge of the project, wanted to hide the details of the experiments from prying eyes so he set up the laboratory in one of the most isolated places he could find.

He choose a large patch of unused land that the churched owned in the northern part of the Taiga Forest in Russia. It was a remote and inaccessible place by non-magical means. Dozens of miles from the nearest town and nothing but thick woodland in between, it was a perfect place from him to conduct his project.

Kiba was found wandering in the middle of the forest in the opposite direction of the town, having lost his way. He had collapsed and was already dying when he was found by Gremory.

What was Rias Gremory, a twelve year old Heir of one of the 72 Pillar with an incredibly overprotective older brother, doing alone in the middle of the Church's territory located in the human world? Far away from any form of Civilization or Devil controlled territory?

Setting Kiba's file aside I picked up Akeno's next. The link was even easier to see in this one.

Akeno was born to a human mother and a Fallen father. When she was ten, Akeno's mother was killed by her father's enemies. Without her mother there to protect her, Akeno's family soon kicked her out onto the street due to her Fallen blood.

Having just turned twelve, Akeno had indirectly saved a human that was contracted by a Devil from the Gremory Clan. Terrified that the Devil would try and kill her due to her Fallen Angel heritage, she ran and hid from him.

Unfortunately while it she had succeeded from escaping from the Devil, she was captured by her relatives when she was trying to escape town. They were there to kill her but before her grand-uncle could land the killing blow he was stopped by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, the Gremory Clan Head's Bishop. Up until that point there was nothing too out of the ordinary, however what was unusual is that he had Rias with him.

Why did he bring Rias along? What was the Gremory Heir doing there in the first place? And was it just a coincidence that they appeared in the very last possible moment to save her but not earlier?

Tossing Akeno's file aside I reached for the last one, the file belonging to Gasper Vladi.

Like the other three, Gasper had a tragic past. Born to a human and a Vampire, Gasper's life went wrong for the very beginning. His mother passed away soon after his birth not due labor complications but because she looked upon Gasper's true form and died from fright.

This event had resulted in his father along with the rest of his relatives becoming extremely frightened of him. Combine with his Dampier heritage, Gasper was mistreated so badly by his family that he decided to run away.

During his escape he was found and killed by Vampire Hunters.

Again this is where it gets strange. Vampires, unlike many other supernatural being, don't live in the Underworld but the human world. North-Eastern Europe to be exact. Gasper was killed in the middle of the wilderness of that region as he was attempting to escape the Vampire Hunters. What was Rias Gremory, a thirteen year old Heiress who was once again alone, doing there in the first place?

Then there was Issei. How did the Fallen suspect that Issei had a Sacred Gear? His magical presence was so weak that Rias only found about it by pure luck. And even then Akeno had to literally run into him to notice, before then they had been going to the same school for months but no one realized he had a Sacred Gear. If things played out different it was entirely possible that Issei could have lived out his whole life without anyone realizing he had a Sacred Gear.

Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action. This did not happen once or twice but every single time. Akeno in Japan, Koneko in the underworld, Kiba in Russia, Gasper in Europe and now Issei again in Japan. Everyone only joined Gremory because they would have died if they didn't, and yet not one of them had done a single thing wrong.

There was no way that Rias Gremory could have planned this. Setting aside her age I seriously doubt that she would have been willing to go through with all of this just to get Peerage members, despite what she did to Issei. Which meant just like the other involved she was being manipulated unknowingly by a third party.

And while I had no proof, I have a very good idea of who that third party was.

Sirzechs was a great Maou, though I did not like to admit it he was probably better at his job than Serafall. I knew that he is willing to go above and beyond the call of duty to protect the Underworld. Even if it meant sacrificing his life, I knew he would do it willingly with a smile if it was to protect his beloved nation.

He did however have one fatal flaw. Something that could ruin us all. He would put his family and their happiness above everything else, even his own or his nation. As an individual, such a trait would have been a virtue. As a Ruler, it was a flaw.

There was a brand of madness unique to Devils, a type of insanity born from their Sin. It rules them in a way human minds simply cannot comprehend, it twists them in a way people simply weren't meant to imagine. With Sirzechs it ruled over his Peerage and his family. He would happily see the whole world burn before giving up a single one of them.

If he was forced to kill one to save a thousand, Sirzechs would kill the one with a heavy heart. If that one was his family or Peerage, Sirzechs would massacre a million rather than the one. He would not even hesitate.

As a Maou he cannot show outright favoritism to his family, the Lords and people will rebel. However if he uses more subtle and less obvious methods to help them, then no one can complain. Helping his little sister get a powerful Peerage, one that could protect her when he couldn't, was something he would badly want.

If you look at in a certain way he did nothing wrong. After all, all he did was arrange a meeting. One between his sister and her future Peerage. And if he had to take advantage of a few dying children, well he was known as the Lord of Demons for a reason. You don't get a title like that for being nice after all. To Sirzechs, there was nothing that he won't do to protect his family, no price too high to pay.

Unfortunately he was not the only Maou who was like this. To protect Sona, I know that there is very little that Serafall is unwilling to do. Whether that was a good thing or bad I was still not sure.

I barked out a bitter laugh. What a mess, and the worst part of it there is nothing I can do about it. All of this occurred year ago, so long in the past it might as well be ancient history as far as I can do anything to change it.

I slumped into my chair and was about to put down Gasper's file when something caught my attention. On the bottom of the page, a few additional lines were penciled in. Lifting the file before I carefully read what was written.

_Gasper Vladi's suffers from poor control over his Sacred Gear. Due to Rias Gremory's lack of power to contain him or his power, it was decided that Gasper was to be sealed away until the time that Rias Gremory matures enough as a Devil to control him._

_As of the beginning of last year Gasper Vladi has been sealed away in the basement of the Kuoh Academy's old school building. He has not been let out ever since._

Letting the file fall from my fingers and onto the desk, I slowly leaned back into my chair. I inhaled deeply and shut my eyes and attempted to calm the emotions raging inside of me.

My desk fractured then exploded, sending splinters flying all across the room.

It didn't work.

Calmly I stood up, picked up my jacket and made my way out of the room. Enough was enough, I was tired of watching children get hurt as I sat back and did nothing. I didn't care about the consequences anymore.

There was nothing I could do about the past, but the present was an entirely different matter.

* * *

><p>Violet sparks of magic leapt from rune to rune, casting the wooden surface in an ominous flickering light. Circles crafted from lines of an archaic language, one that I did not recognize, rotated in place like gears of an intricate clock. There was about two dozen of them, though the ones that stood out the most was the four in each corner of the door and the large crimson one bearing the Gremory seal in the middle, the only part of the design that wasn't violet.<p>

Even just standing next to the seal, I could feel the power of it. It felt like a physical thing, radiating like waves of heat from an oven. The amount of power it held was staggering, more than enough to contain even an Ultimate-Class Devil.

This was the seal that blocked the only entrance to the basement. It prevented anyone from entering or exiting the place no matter what method used. It blocks any living being from teleporting inside and blocks any physical attempt on circumventing the seal. Breaking through the walls or digging down to the basement will not work.

It also prevented any high amount of magic from leaking out of the place. At best the only magic anyone inside the seal could send to the outside would be magical based messages, although it did nothing to block any of the more mundane forms of commutations.

And behind it was a young boy that hadn't seen the light of day in nearly two years.

It would have taken months for someone who knew what he was doing to take apart the seal. Even a master of the craft would have needed weeks to decipher and unlock the seal without permission from its creator.

I didn't feel like waiting.

In my hands I traced a dagger. Its blade was jagged and iridescent, too brittle and blunt to ever be used as a proper weapon. It was clearly a ceremonial dagger, one unsuited for combat. However anyone who sets their eyes on it could tell it was dangerous at an almost instinctive level. It had an ominous and perverse feeling to it that even the most obtuse would notice. Its name was Rule Breaker.

I stabbed the dagger right into the heart of the Gremory circle and watched as the seal, one capable of holding back the strength of powerful demons with the utmost ease, collapse like a house of cards.

A small part of me, one that wasn't clouded with anger, thought that it was a beautiful sight. A cross between fireworks and a stone being tossed into a still lake, the runes flashed and burned in multicolored sparks as they fell apart, starting from the middle and spreading outwards like a rippling wave.

In a matter of seconds the entire seal collapsed and all that remained before me was a mundane door. It wouldn't be long now until someone arrives to investigate, not after the collapse of such a powerful seal. So without any hesitation I reached out, open the door and made my way down the stairs into the lair of a Dead Apostle.

The place was as expected dark, though it did nothing to hinder my sight. Still, as I made my way down the stairs I braced myself for whatever horrors may await me at the end of the stairs. Child or not Gasper was till a vampire, a Dead Apostle and I was about to enter his domain.

While I had never been on a true Dead Apostle hunt in my old world, though I did encounter a couple of their kind before, I had heard stories. Of towns wiped out over the course of a single night, as its population were turned to the mindless dead. How monsters wearing the faces of people, of children, would mindlessly attack anyone unfortunate enough to cross their path.

Lairs were worse, as that was the Dead Apostle's home ground, a place where the spent most of their days in than any another location. They were rarely ever found as Dead Apostles would cover it with a unique form of Bounded Fields that would make the place invisible to both mundane and magical means of discovery. They were so well hidden that even trained Magi from the Mage Association need years of effort to find even a single one.

That was why I didn't know what I may find down there, discovering one was so rare that I have never had the chance to ask what to expect to find in one. Still it wasn't hard to guess that no matter what form it took it will be a living hell, horrors straight out of a nightmare that will be forever seared into my mind.

As I set foot on the basement's floor I finally got a chance to a proper look around me and to find that my suspicions was correct. No it was worse, far worse than I had pictured it to be, more horrifying than I could have ever imagined it to be. As even in my worst nightmares I hadn't expect to find a place that was so…so…pink.

By the dead God, there was so much pink that I felt my eyes burn and water just by looking around the place.

The walls were covered with pink and white striped wall paper and despite not having any windows, there were several dark pink curtains covering patches of wall. The wooden cabinet and furniture that decorated the room were painted in different shades of pink. There were even brown teddy bears and black bunny rabbits that had their plastic eyes colored pink.

What made it worse was all the lace and ribbons that covered the room. The computer monitor in one corner of the room was set on pink cloth and had its edges lined with some kind of lacy pink design. Even the wide-screen television that was set in the middle of the wall was placed on top of a pink stand.

For a moment I thought I made a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in hell. I was just about to turn around and leave when I caught sight of the coffin in the middle of the room. The lid was placed slightly adjured and hidden deep within its shadow, I could see a pair of frightened magenta eye peering out at me.

Before I had a chance to say so much as a word those eyes flash with a yellow and ruby light, as Gasper active his Sacred Gear.

* * *

><p>Rias Gremory, along with the rest of her Peerage, just stared in utter disbelief at the sight before her.<p>

"_Ha_ - Headshot, take that you freaking newb!"

Just a few minutes ago she had been running down the corridors of the old school building after having collected the rest of her Peerage. They had all sensed the magical discharge that the collapse of Gasper's seal had caused.

They did not realized what it was right away and had wasted several minutes trying to figure out the cause. It was only after Akeno, who was the most magically sensitive of the group, sense that seal over Gasper's room was missing did they comprehend what happened.

As they had rushed down the halls and stairs to Gasper's room her worried mind conjured up every possible scenario that may have happened, each on worse than the other. Did the Vampire-Hunters track down Gasper again? Was his family trying to take him back? Or had whoever murdered the Fallen decided to strike at her Peerage next?

But still, for all the terrible things she imagined,-

"AH-HA, I just pwned your ass. Dude, you suck at this."

-She sure as hell didn't expect this.

There before her was Gasper and Serafall's Queen, Emiya, sitting in front of Gasper's widescreen television. In their hands was a gaming controller and they were playing some kind of first-person shooter game.

When she and her Peerage barged into Gasper's room, they could do nothing but wordlessly stare in disbelief at the sight. Well, it would be more accurate to say that she and Kiba were the only ones to be staring in disbelief as he was the only one that looked just as shocked as she was.

Koneko just stared unnervingly at the platter of homemade snacks that was placed between Emiya and Gasper, something that Emiya apparently brought with him. Going by the way her eyes never left the food since we entered the room, it seemed that her Rook didn't much cared about what else was going on.

Akeno on the other hand had just dropped to her knees as she broke out into a fit of laughter. It was at times like this that she really hated her Queen's twisted sense of humor.

"BOOM! Another Headshot! Buwahahahaha." Her cute and beloved Bishop began cackling like a deranged maniac after having successful shot a characters head off. She knew, just knew, she shouldn't have gotten him that Xbox live subscription.

Gasper hasn't been the same ever since.

"Oh Buchou! You'll never believe it." Gasper having finally caught sight of her called out to her. A part of her noted that her bishop, so caught up in his apparent excitement, didn't speak with his usual stutter or habit of stretching out words.

"Shirou here isn't effected by my Sacred Gear. That means I can hang around him without hurting anybody! He said he can help me learn how to control it. He even offered me a room to crash in his place while he helps me trains. Can I go live with him? Can I please~?" Her Bishop pouted at her with such wide puppy eyes, that if it were at any other time she wouldn't have been able to resist glomping the stuffing out of him. As it was, she was still a little bit too out of it to do anything but stare.

When she turned to look towards Emiya for an explanation she found him utterly ignoring her as he gaped at something on the television screen.

"Is that teabagging? Did you just teabag me! Cut that out you little brat." He yelled out will point at the screen where Gasper's avatar was apparently repeatedly squatting over Emiya's avatar's face.

She had never face palmed harder in her life.

* * *

><p><strong>*Story end*<strong>

**Author's Notes:**

That's it for the new chapter, I hope you all liked it. I have to admit writing this chapter was much harder than I expected, at least towards the end. I had to drag the words out of me. I think I need to take a break, a real break this time, before I start typing out the next chapter (don't worry I just need two or three days to recharge)

AS for Gasper, let's admit it, even in Canon Gasper was an internet junkie. Is it that much of a surprise that he got addicted to online gaming? Don't worry, as you'll see in the next chapter he's still pretty much Canon Gasper…As long as you don't get him behind a control that is.

**Cliché number 4**: I think Gabriel Blessing said it best in his story 'Beyond the Outer Gate Lies' when Harry met an angel for the first time and thought 'He looks just like a normal man with a pair of Dove wings strapped to his back". One of my biggest Pet Peeves of the DxD verse is that everybody in it acts like a normal human. And I mean everybody from Angels to Gods to Millennia old Dragons.

That ain't going to happen here. Fallen Angels are supposed to be charming, beautify and seductive creatures that are fundamentally flawed in some way and that is exactly how they're going to behave here.

I also always hated the name Koneko. It's like your parents naming you 'human' or 'child' as your first name.

The Gasper thing was something I always thought of as messed up. Even in Canon it was said that they sealed him in a room because Rias didn't have enough power to control him. So why didn't they just leave him with someone that can take care of him and help him learn to control his powers? At least until she gets strong enough to do it herself. Why the hell was 'let's lock a thirteen year old boy in the basement for a few years until she's ready' ever a freaking option? Who's insane idea was it?

Remember we're seeing all of this from Shirou's point of view, and he is an unreliable narrative, he doesn't see the full picture. Just because he thinks something is true doesn not mean it is (it doesn't mean it is't either :P). Please wait until Sirzechs actually appears in the story before you decide weather I'm bashing him or not.

All usual, while I am grateful for any reviews, even ones that just say 'Good Job', I would really appreciate any constructive criticism you can give me that may help me improve my writing. By telling me the parts you liked and what parts you didn't you'll help me make the story better than what it would have been.

**Question:** So, how did I do? Did you like what I did with Kokabiel? Please tell me what you thought of him.

PS. So many scenes and idea are inspired by the comments in my review or questions that some of the readers thought of. Some of you even PM'ed me pages of ideas and information. There are so many of you who helped me out that I cannot list you all. So forgive me for naming you all but I want to thank each and every one of you for your help.

And thank you all so much for reading.


	8. Chapter 8: The Devil's Guidebook 3

**Author's notes:**

Remember, those that want to skip can, the next chapter will be posted in a couple of minutes. Those of you reading I'd like to apologies for the shortness of this guidebook. Asia's stats was meant to be added in the end of this chapter but due to real life problems I didn't have time to finish but I promise to add hers in the next one.

* * *

><p>Devil's Guidebook 3<p>

**Holy Swords:**

Blade of unmatched power and majesty, Holy Swords are weapons crafted from divine origin and infused with holy power before being gifted upon humanity. Not to be confused with light swords (blades crafted from light) or Divine swords (blades crafted for Gods to wield), Holy Swords are blade crafter from the element of 'Holy'. They cannot be crafted by human or Devils hands as only beings that can command the Holy element such as God can craft them.

As Holy Swords are extremely harmful to Devils, as even the smallest of scratches can become potentially lethal. Even standing in the presence of a Holy Sword can cause Devils to instinctively flee in fright as they trigger a very primitive reaction in our bodies similar to the fight or flight response in human, except without the fight part because our bodies ain't stupid and wants to live.

Holy swords can only be wielded by their chosen users. While not sentient the swords are able to judge the character of anyone holding their hilt and decided whether they are worth or nor to wield them. Anyone not found worth would not be able to access into any of the swords power. Every year, all the new initiates to the Church are taken to where the unpartnered Swords are stored and are tested to see if they have the potential to wield them. Needless to say cannot be wielded by Devils as their very touch will burn us and prolonged time in its presence will greatly weaken us.

Over the course of the centuries there have been many attempts to create artificial Holy Sword users but all attempts have led to failure. However all attempts on the creation of artificial Holy Sword users have been put to a halt and banded by the Church several years ago.

This was due to the events dubbed as the 'Holy Sword Project'. Led by Valper Galilei, now known as the Genocide Archbishop, the project experimented on children who showed some potential to wield Holy Swords but were still unsuccessful in doing so.

While much of the details of the projects were erased by the Church what is known is that experiments done on the children were unethical and inhuman in nature that resulted in the painful death of many of the subjects. When details of experiments were beginning to leak out and reach the ears of his superiors, Galilei attempted to hide all traces of his activities by murdering and disposing of the remaining children. He succeeded.

However it was already too late for Galilei as the Church found out of the experiments and was captured by the Church's internal Police force and he was soon forced to stand trial.

In the end Valper Galilei and all involved in the project were found guilty and were immediately executed by the Church. Because let's be honest here, what else were they going to do? Release a child mass murderer that has earned the title of 'Genocide' into the public? In what kind of messed up alternate reality would that ever happen in?

Ever since the disaster of the Holy Sword Project the Church has issued a law that made any research into the creation of artificial Holy Swords users illegal.

**Excommunicated **

At one time in the past the Church would excommunicate members who would act in a manner that was unbecoming of a member of the Church. These included Exorcists who have gone too far and committed murder or torture.

This practice continued for many year until someone in the Church realized the releasing highly train yet mental unstable psychopathic killer into the public so that they many continue these acts of violence unsupervised, or worse and more likely join the Fallen faction, who the church was at war with, was a really _really_ stupid idea…_like duh._

Ever since the Church discovered the wonder known as common sense, every deranged Exorcist were tried then executed. Excommunication is now only used on those who have committed non-violent crime and do not pose a risk to the public themselves.

The latest Exorcist that had suffered this fate was Freed Sellzen, a young man who was once hailed as a genius as a child before proven to me a psychopath with no qualms of killing innocent humans. His finally actions before he his death was to stick his tongue out at his executioners.

**Ranks of Devils**

From top to bottom

**Ultimate Class**

Maou

Great Kings

Kings

Archdukes

Dukes

Prince/Princess

**High Class**

Marquis/Marchioness

Margrave/Margravine

Count/Countess

Viscount/Viscountess

Baron/Baroness

**Middle Class**

Baron/Baroness

Knight/Dame

**Low Class**

Commoners and Reincarnated Devils

**Trial of the Heirs**

In Devil society power is everything. No matter your bloodline or lack of one, in the end that is the only thing that matters. Even if you had the blood of commoners running through your veins if you more power than any other Devils, no one would voice a word of complaint if you became the next Maou.

Yet if that were true why do members of the 72 Pillars get better treatment, in particular to their children? The answer is potential. Time and time again the children of the Pillars have proven to grow to become incredibly powerful Devils. One needs to only look at the four Maou and the leaders of the Rating Games to see that. Each one of them is a descendent of the 72 Pillars.

However, potential is not power that is why the Heirs are not given the privileges they enjoy without a price. That price is known as the 'Trial'.

If an Heir is able to prove him or herself a powerful Devil at a young age than the Trail will not take effect, but those who fail to do so must pass the Trail.

It is based on a rather simple idea; even if the heir is weak they still have powerful abilities in their blood. So at the very least if they cannot become powerful Devils themselves then they should provide powerful children instead.

That is why every heir is engaged to powerful Devil from another clan, one that is not an heir is or likely to ever become one. The heirs are them given a single command, break out of the marriage contract using your own abilities.

It does not matter if they use their wit, cunning or raw power. That is the Trail of the Heirs, a test to for the Devils to prove themselves worthy to lead one of the 72 Pillars or to help create the next generation of Devils that will prove themselves worthy.

In the end there are three possible conclusions to the Trails. The first is for the Heir to find a way to legally break out of the contract. The second is for the heir to fail and is forced to go through with the contract and marry their bethroned. The final option is for the heir to abdicate their position as heir.

If that were to happen the former-heir would be freed from the marriage contract and from all responsibilities of the heir as they would simply become anther clan member.

The third option had never been chosen in the entire history of the Underworld.

To Devils power is everything.

There does not exist a Devil willing to surrender power, even at the cost of their own happiness.


	9. Chapter 9: Why Angel's fall

**Author's notes:**

Once again thank you so much for all the support you've given me. My last chapter had the highest positive reviews to date in addiction to getting me another 100+ favorites, thank you all so much.

Now this chapter was the hardest one I've ever written (longest too). Once you read it you'll know why so I won't spoil it but those of you waiting for action rejoice. For this chapter has it all, battle, mystery revealed, character development everything.

And the great news is after this chapter the story will real start going. It's like pushing a boulder up a hill, I have finally reached the top and now the plot will move on at a fast pace as the boulder rolls down. I have spent all the previous chapters developing the world and characters and now we can enjoy the fruits of my ground work.

**Corrections from last Chapters: **I wrote that Shirou cannot use the Houtengeki to its full power, that was my mistake and I will fix it soon.

I can't believe I spelled Lu Bu wrong. I am a fan of the romance of the three kingdoms and have read the books and played the games and I clearly remember thinking Lu Bu when I typed his name but I looked at the chapter the next morning and lo and behold, it was spelled Lu Bi. I felt my cheeks turn red when I noticed.

Oh, and remember. I'm still a brand spanking new author of fan fiction so if I made any stupid mistakes that makes no sense in any of my chapters, I'm more than willing to rewrite it to fix it.

Note: this chapters is still being edited for spelling errors and will be fixed up within a couple of days.

Thanks for Reading and I hope you enjoy the story.

* * *

><p><strong>*Story Start*<strong>

Why Angels Fall

The egg batter sizzled and popped as I poured it onto the heated frying pan. While the omelets were being cooked, I turned my attention to other pan and with a wooden spoon steady stirred the chopped up bell pepper, onion and mushrooms it contained.

It surprised me how much I missed cooking breakfast. I used to do it all the time back home but I didn't have the time since arriving in the city and even in the Underworld I wasn't able to cook as much as I wanted to. I lay the blame on Serafall's household staff.

I swear her Head Chef looked like he was about to have a heart attack when he caught me cooking one morning. Whatever respect or deference he had for as a higher class Devil went out the window the moment I set foot in _his_ kitchen.

Naturally I ignored his repeated pleading and attempts to stop me until one day the poor guy just broke down crying. I think hearing Serafall absently mention that she loved my cooking better than anyone else's was the final straw for him. Turns out he had been cooking for Serafall ever since she was a little girl. There was nothing more awkward than watching a seven foot tall, five hundred year old Devil sobbing like a toddler.

Ever since, I had mostly avoided the kitchen. But now that I have moved into my own place that was no longer a problem. And seeing as today was a weekend I decided to make an extra-large breakfast as a welcoming present for Gasper moving in.

"Asia," I called out to her over my shoulder, "can you please set up the table? The food is almost ready."

"Sure thing Shirou. Table for four coming right up." She cheerfully replied.

I absently nodded as I checked the eggs again. I wasn't sure what kind of food Gasper liked so I decided to play it safe and make a western breakfast, he'd most likely prefer it to a Japanese one seeing he was raised in Europe.

It wasn't my specialty but it was a relatively simple dish so I was confident it would turn out fine. I also made sure cook extra-large portions just in case Gasper was a big eater so there was more than enough to feed him, Asia and me…wait a minute, table for four? There was only three of us.

My spatula froze just half-way through flipping the omelet as I turned and looked over my shoulder into a pair of amber colored eyes that were glittering with suppressed excitement as they stared back at me.

"Koneko, what are you doing here?"

"Hungry." She answered as if that explained everything. Really, what more did I expect?

She was seated on the table next to Gasper, while she held a fork in her right hand and knife in her left. She was wearing a black and violet shirt with a white skirt spotted with violet colored paw prints. A thin chocker was wrapped around her neck with a small plastic flower hanging off it.

Now that I think about it this is the first time I had seen her outside of her school uniform. I had gotten so used to it that I had trouble recognizing her out of it.

"Gasper," if I didn't have my hands full at the moment I would have pinched the bridge of my nose to stave off the building headache, "what are you wearing?"

"A paper bag!" He chirped excitedly. A pair of eerie pink glowing sphere shone out of two eyeholes cut into a brown paper bad that he had placed over his head. It gave the normally childlike Gasper such a malevolent appearance that I had to restrain myself from reflexively smashing him with one of my frying pans. "Koneko gave it for me! Isn't it neat?"

I just deadpanned towards Koneko who gazed back at me with her usually blank face –

_Huh?_

_-_Just for sec, I could have sworn that Koneko flashed me an evil looking smirk before it instantly disappeared. No, no I must have imagined it. There is no way Koneko could have made such a face.

After all, Cats aren't evil…right?

"And how do you expect to eat anything with that thing over your head?" I asked.

In reply, Gasper held out a fist before slowly extending his index finger upwards. He rotated his hand to that finger was pointed towards his face, in the direction of where his mouth was. With a quick thrust, he stabbed his finger through the paper bag and poked out a hole over his mouth.

"There," he said after setting down his hand, sounding rather pleased with himself, "now I can eat without taking it off." The newly made hole was being dragged in and out every time he spoke.

Why was every Devil I met insane? Cosplaying Maous, locker teleporting kittens and now cross-dressing paper bag wearing vampires. They just keep getting worse.

After flipping the eggs, I set everything down for the moment and approached Gasper. As I did so my imagination conjured a mini-Serafall, almost like one of the Angel/Devil conscious that you see in cartoons, over my left shoulder and she began to whisper something into my ear.

As I approached Gasper, I held out my hands and projected a particular set of clothing with a matching mask onto them. Crouching down once I reached him so I was eye level I held out the newly made bundle, "Here," I nodded towards my arms, "wear these instead. I'm sure you'd feel more comfortable in it than a paper bag."

Even through the paper bag I could see the way his eyes widened as he recognized what I was holding out. Quickly, he snatched the cloths out of my hands and rushed into one of the side rooms to change while throwing a quick 'Thanks Shirou' over his shoulder.

As the sound of the door slamming shut reached me I turned back to my cooking. Once I was sure Gasper wasn't to return for some reason I asked, "So Koneko, is food the only reason you're here?"

From the corner of my eyes I caught her shrugging as I prepared a new batch of eggs and bacon for Koneko. "Buchou wanted someone to checkup on Gasper," She answered, "I volunteered."

I grinned at that, "And I'm sure that it was Gasper's wellbeing that made you volunteer, not your hunger."

She simply pointed to herself in reply, "Devil. Not Angel."

A chuckle escaped me at that while I thought back to the events of last night. Truthfully what I did was reckless and stupid to say the least and I could have gotten into a lot of trouble for it. But I simply couldn't bring myself to care, consequences be damned.

I'm still surprised that I didn't get into any real trouble as it is. Rias Gremory was surpassingly tolerant once she got over her shock at the situation. Having caught me red-handed, all she needed to do was report me and I'd have been in a shit-storm of trouble.

Yet the worse she did was to give me a stern talking to about what she'll do to me if I mistreated Gasper even the slightest. She didn't outright say it but I had a feeling she felt more than a little bit guiltily for Gasper's situation and blamed herself for her lack of power to look after him.

Well, either that or the way she kept muttering how she was used to the Leviathan's brand of madness after all her sleepovers at Sona's and should have expected it from her Queen. What did Serafall do to those poor girls?

In hindsight I can clearly see her point. While interfering with someone else's Peerage is a serious offence, doubly so when said Peerage member was sealed away because he was too dangerous, can you image everyone's reaction when she reports this? Considering how much her reputation had taken a hit after the Boosted Gear fiasco, how will the council respond when she complains 'He broke his way into my Bishop's room to play video games with him. I caught him red-handed in the act as my bishop was in the process of teabagging him, repeatedly'.

Still I ended up a dodging a bullet there as even in the best case scenario I would have been pulled out from the city and both Serafall's and my reputation would have taken a hit, something we cannot afford right now, if she reported me.

"The table's ready Shirou." Asia called out from where she had been silently setting up the table.

"Perfect timing as I'm just about done." I turned and hollered over my shoulder, "Gasper, foods ready. You better get out here or else Koneko's likely to steal you share." The girl in question didn't even have the decency to look ashamed as she gave a nod of agreement.

A black blur streaked thought the kitchen's entrance and leapt onto the back of Gasper's chair where it perched there like a bird. A black cape that was being held in place by his hands covered Gasper's form from view for the moment before he yelled out and threw his cape wide open, "_I AM THE NIGHT!" _And revealed his Batman costume

Yes, I gave the Bat-boy a Bat suit.

The imaginary little Serafall that I still had sitting on my shoulder was cackling so hard she ended up falling over backwards causing her to slip off of my shoulder. Even as I heard the imaginary little thump as she hit the ground I could still hear her manic laughter all the way down.

* * *

><p>"Ah~, that's better," she sighed out as she settled down on the sofa, "I apologies for being the first to sit down young Sitri, but these old bones of mine aren't what they used to be."<p>

"It's quite alright," Sona sat across from her as she replied, "I don't believe that now is the time to worry about such things as protocol."

"Ha!" The old nun barked out, "If I was dealing with the old Sitri Heir, protocol would have been thrown out the window no matter what the circumstances may be." She turned towards one of her two companions that were standing on either side of her, "It's a shame you didn't get a chance to meet her Irina, I have a feeling you two would have gotten along."

"Whatever you say boss." The light brown hair girl replied with a cheery smile, though her hard violet eyes never relaxed as she watched the rest of the Council room's occupants. She stood next to the right of the nun and though there was more than enough room on the sofa for her and the other girl, neither opted to sit down. Instead both remained watchful and alert, a contrast to the nun's relaxed and amiable demeanor.

Despite being female, both of the girls that bracketed the nun like book ends were dressing up in black suits with dark blue dress shirt and neckties giving them a mature and professional look in spite of their young age.

The girl on the nun's left side was carrying a golf bag over her left shoulder, although going by how she made sure to keep her gloved hand near its open flap I'd wager that she was had a weapon of some kind hidden inside.

This second girl had chin-length blue hair with a streak of green on the right side of her bangs similar to my white one. Her yellow eyes calmly scanned the room while her entire demeanor projected self-confidence even though she was outnumbered three to one.

However it was the nun that stood out the most of three. Locks of hair, turned snow white with age, escaped her habit and fell down her face. Wrinkles edged her deep blue eyes and the corner of her lips, yet the rest of her face was remarkably smooth. Her hands that gripped the wooden cane before her was strong and hardened with callouses.

Despite her earlier words, it was clear that her age did little to slow her down. One just had to watch how she moved to see the obvious strength she still held within her small frame. And while her grandmotherly smile was genuine, it did little to mask how dangerous she was.

"You know my sister?" Sona politely asked.

"You could say that lass. I and my old friends ran into her a few times when I was just a little bit older than you are now. Of course more often than not we soon ended up running _away_ from her as she started to rain down hails of spikes on our heads. We had an idiot in our group that couldn't resist comparing her to Gabriel and finding her lacking, of course he had to make sure to mention it to her each time we met." Though she was chuckling it was clear that she was being serious.

"Anyway, enough about ancient history. I'm sure you're wondering what we're doing here." Her smile faded a bit as the conversation began to take a more serious turn but it didn't disappear completely.

Sona ignore the tea that Tsubasa placed on the table as adjusted her glasses, "Yes, I admit I'm quite curious," She leaded forward and steepled her hands as she spoke, "for the church to send an exorcist into my territory is not a common event by any means, let alone one of your repute. Even in my generation the name Griselda Quarta holds more than a little weight."

While not as active as she used to be, Griselda Quarta was once of the most feared humans of her generation. Born with neither a Sacred Gear nor high magical potential, she was able to fight her way to the top with her sword skills alone, making her among most powerful exorcist in the Church's history.

Though that alone would have made her dangerous, the real source of her fame occurred about forty years ago when she and three of her comrades, fellow exorcists from the church, were able to take down a powerful Ultimate-Class Devil without a single loss on her side. That all four of them were only human beings without a Sacred Gear between the lot of them only made the accomplishment even more remarkable.

When the guards informed me of her arrival into the city, I drop everything I was doing and made sure to track her every movement from the sky. While I'm far from a skilled flyer and would be hopeless in an aerial battle of any kind, I was good enough to stay afloat from high-up and watch them, though I made sure to maintain my distance in case anyone one of them could sense me.

It quickly became apparent that they were heading towards the school so I decided to get here ahead of them and inform Sona that I happened to spot a couple of exorcists on their way here. And that's how we ended up here in the Student Council room, filled with Sona's entire Peerage, myself and three exorcists.

"Thank you dear." Griselda told Tsubasa as she took her offered tea and took a quick sip before setting it down. "Well, let's get straight to the point shall we? We came here as representatives of the Church to make a request. Well, two requests actually. The first and foremost we require any information you may have pertaining to the missing Excaliburs."

What? From the ripple of surprise that ran through the rest of the Devils in the room, it was clear that I wasn't the only one who was caught off guard.

"The Excaliburs?" Sona, recovering quickly questioned. "What makes you believe we know anything about them? Other than four of them being stolen a few days earlier we have no further knowledge about them."

Though Griselda's little smile was still in place she observed Sona with an almost frightening intensity when she was speaking, before she shut them and physically appeared to relax as some previous hidden tension seemed to leave her body. "So it's true then, looks like you Devils didn't have anything to with it after all." Though she muttered it under her breath is was loud enough for most of the Devils in the room to hear her, if barely.

Opening her eyes again she gave Sona an amiable nod, "In that case we retract the first request, and we'll move straight onto the second one." She paused to take another sip of her tea before continuing, "While I apologize if this sounds rather presumptuous of us, we the Church officially request permission to scout this city, including your territory of course."

"For the Excaliburs," Sona having quickly put the pieces together, "you think they're here?"

"Did you think that this was the first time an Excalibur went missing?" Griselda countered Sona's question with one of her own, "It is only natural for a valuable sword to be stolen if it's wielders were ever to be slain in battle, and yet the Church still fields the Excaliburs instead of storing them in the great vault underneath the Vatican, like all the other valuable but impractical treasures. Have you ever wondered why we do so?"

Sona didn't even need a moment to answer, "You can track them."

"Correct," Griselda beamed at her as if she was a student how got a right answer, "in the last one and a half millennia that the Church has possessed the Excaliburs we have lost them dozens of times yet never for long as you can see we still have all seven pieces. Well," she added with a sheepish smile, "had anyway."

"And you tracked them all the way from Europe to Japan, how?"

She simply gave her a cheesier smile, "We have our ways."

Makes sense why they wouldn't want anyone to know how they tack down the swords. You can't prevent it from working if you have no idea how it worked. Considering that no one has figured it out for over a thousand years it's possible for Griselda herself not to know and is only receiving instructions from the higher ups back in Church.

Sona remained silent for a minute as she digested all this before asking, "Hypothetically speaking, what would you do if I refuse your request?"

"Then the Church will declare you an accessory to the thief." She shrugged, "Sorry dear, but we're pretty sure that the swords are here and the higher ups are desperate to get them back after the embarrassment of having four of them stolen at the same time. Now I can tell you _that_ has never happened before."

If Sona was upset over the implied threat she hid it well, "And you're confident that you can get the Excaliburs back, with just the three of you?"

"Oh don't worry dear," her perpetual smile never wavering, "we have our own trump cards just in case. Permit me to demonstrate you. Irina, Xenovia show them."

At her command the two girls on either side of her withdrew they weapons. The blue haired girl, Xenovia, reached into her golf bag and withdrew a sword. It was long two-handed sword, easily reaching the girls shoulder in length. A pair of axe-like guards bracketed its cross shaped pommel and the tip of the blade ended in three points. The steel of the sword was colored an ash black, with red designs carved into the blade.

The other girl, Irina, simply held out her right hand. A black band that was wrapped around her wrist rippled then slithered down onto the palm of her gloved hand like a snake. Once she took a firm grip on it, it began to shift again. This time it transformed into a golden hilted katana.

Griselda also took the opportunity to reveal her sword. Gripping her wooden cane with both hands, she gave it a quick twist then a pull. The top was of the cane was easily retracted, revealing the naked steel of the blade concealed within the heart of the wood, a sword-cane then.

All around me the Devils in the room visibly flinched and took a step back at the mere sight of the blades. Those of them that were seated pushed themselves back deeper into their chairs in an effort to get as far away from the swords as they could, even Sona was no exception, as entirely primal instinct within them urged them to run and flee. To get away from the things that could end them with so much as a single cut.

"It has always been the Church's policy to hunt down stolen Excaliburs with other Excaliburs." Griselda continued speaking with same friendly smile on her face, as if she hadn't noticed the reactions of the Devils in the room. "After all lass, even if they have gotten their hands on a couple of Holy Swords it doesn't mean that they have anyone capable of wielding them. Holy Sword wielders don't grow on tree you know."

"Pfft!" I clamped a hand over my mouth in an attempt to keep quite but it was no use. Even through my hands the sound of my muffled laughter was loud enough to capture everyone's attention, though I barely noticed. I tried I swear I tried, but I simply couldn't hold it in, "Bwahahahahahahaha!"

For the first time since entering, Griselda completely lost her smile as she shot my chortling frame a bemused look. I was seated on my own over to her left, perpendicular to Sona and herself. "Is something amusing lad?"

"I-I'm sorry," I managed to squeeze out between fits of laughter as I finally began to calm down, "I really am, I didn't mean to laugh. It's just that the way you all look so serious as you refer to those toys in your hands as Excalibur, I could not help but laugh."

It's true. Ever since I heard of the broken Excaliburs, I was worried how I'd react. The very idea of her sword being broken sent shaft of pain through me. What the sight of the fragmented remains would do to me I did not know. Would I break down at the sight of them, be angered at their angry fate or react in a completely different way entirely, I did not know.

But when I set my eyes upon these toys, and they _were _toys, what else could I do but that laugh at the absurdity of it all. That this entire mad universe I had found myself in would refer to these things as Excaliburs was ludicrous.

They were D rank Noble phantasm at best and that was if I was being extremely generous. Oh sure, their abilities were reasonably impressive and may have earned them a C rank if it weren't for the swords themselves being so very _fragile_. Strikes that even Kanshou and Bakuya, C- ranked Noble Phantasm, can endure with nothing more than a scratch would cause these toys to shatter in a single blow.

What can I do but laugh at a world that would name these Excalibur?

"Oh," She cocked her head to one side as she gave me the same scrutinizing look she gave Sona a moment ago, "and what makes you call them toys lad?"

"It's just that those swords you are holding are so fragile that I can crush them in the grip of a single hand. That the Church is so desperate for such meaningless toys that it sent some of its best exorcist to traverse half the globe for a weapon I can snap in two with nothing but my own bare hands, and to name such toys Excalibur on top of it all is so utterly ridiculous that I could not help but laugh."

"Stop bluffing Devil." A voice growled out at me. I looked up to find the blue haired exorcist glaring down at me. While the girl had reminded quiet and calm the entire meeting, her temper had clearing been building up since I first broke down laughing and it looked like it a had finally gotten the better of her. "No matter how hard you try to hide it behind false bravado, your kind can't do anything but cower in front of the might of these swords."

Then she swung her sword at me. It was clearly wasn't meant to hit me, the strike would fall short of my face by several inches at least. It was a feint, a weak but fast one-handed blow that was meant to make me recoil and scurry back in fear.

I can already see from the edges of my vision how the rest of the Devils tensed or jumped in reaction to her swing and even Griselda narrowed her eyes in disapproval but didn't otherwise react. Me, I didn't even bother to do anything but raise my right hand and snatch the blade just as it passed my face.

"Bluffing?" I questioned, ignoring her the way her eyes widened with disbelief and instead gave my entire focus to the naked blade I gripped in my hand. "Oh no, I wasn't bluffing. For you see, all I have to do to crush this mockery of a sword is _squeeze_." I then proceeded to do just that.

A horrible screeched reverberated within the walls of a Student Council room when the metal of the blade _screamed_ under the mounting pressure of my ever tightening grip as hairline fractures began to form. With a single glance I could tell that the blade will shatter entirely if I squeezed just a little bit-

"_Shirou_!" a voice yelled out to me at the same moment a hand clamped into my shoulder. I turned to see Sona starting at me with half worried and half unsettled eyes, "Shirou," she spoke the words slowly, almost as if she was talking to a particular dull witted child, "would you please not destroy the very valuable and very important sword that our guests from the Church are willing to kill over."

I looked away from her towards the sword in my hand, and then up towards the wide eyed stares of not only the exorcists but the rest of Student Council. "Oh," I muttered lamely before letting go of the sword which was quickly pulled away by its unsettled wieldier.

Alright, it appears that I may have been a tiny bit angrier over the Excalibur issue than I originally thought.

A slight stinging sensation drew my attention to the long but shallow cut that ran through the palm of my hand. I quickly disregarded it however after noticing how the cut had already begun to heal, no doubt a result from them combination of a Devil's mild natural regeneration and the passive effects of Avalon still inside of me kicking in.

I looked up to find most of the room still sending me unsettled stares, Xenovia's was especially wide eyed, expect for Griselda who sent me another of her analytical looks.

"I see," and just like that, her grandmotherly smile returned, "you must be Emiya Shirou. It seems like I have you to thank for being here."

"I don't understand," Sona jumped into the conversation, apparently happy to have a distraction from what happened, "what does Shirou have anything with being here?"

"It's quite simply really. The Church you see is quite aware that both you and the Gremory Heir reside in this this city, and that left the higher ups in a precarious position. As much as they wanted the Holy Swords back, they were unwilling to needlessly risk triggering an entire War over it.

"And that was exactly what they would have been risking if they sent a powerful and large force to a territory owned by not one but two heirs of Pillars and the little sisters of the Maous' to boot. At first some of the higher ups were actually planning on sending just Xenovia and Irina here. One to match you and the other Rias Gremory."

She shook her head in exasperation at that, "Not that I would have let them of course. While I have confidence in the skills of my girls here, sending two wet behind the ears teenager without back up or supervision against an enemy of unknown strength and capabilities would have been the height of insanity. Which meant it was also the most likely scenario to occur seeing that politics was involved.

"Fortunately the solution to our problem fell into our lap when it became apparent that there was another Devil in the city. An Ultimate-Class one at that. Thanks to you presence here I was given the green light to join this little expedition of ours." She finished while giving me a nod.

"Oh? I'm surprised that the Church was even aware I was here, I have been trying to keep a low profile."

Griselda chuckled at that, "Sonny, after all the things you've done since your arrival in the stage of the Three Factions, it would be almost impossible for us not to be on the constant look out for you. Setting aside your completely unknown past before you established yourself as the Leviathan's new Queen, your actions with returning the kidnapped children alone would have been enough to capture our attention." Sona shot me a questioning look at that.

"They were the victims of a Cthulhu Ritual that I stopped." I answered with a shrugged, "While most of them were the children from either from the Extra-Demon Clans and few from among the Low-Class Devil families, several among them were kidnapped human children. I just made sure to return them home afterwards, nothing worth taking note of."

"You'd be surprised sonny on how few Devils would have even gone through the bother of returning them to the human world, let alone personally delivering each child to their family." Amusement coloring her smile for some reason. "And you forgot to mention the fate of the Devils involved."

"Cthulhu Rituals are completely illegal in any form in the Underworld. By law anyone involved in or caught committing such a ritual is automatically outlawed, making them no different than Stray Devils. Again exterminating them was a part of my duty and is nothing worth taking note of."

"If our reports were in anyway accurate, there were almost three hundred Devils that were involved in the incident. Whether in the ritual itself or the kidnapping of the children. And unless all of our sources were mistaken, you personally hunted every last one of them while raining swords upon their heads."

Well, she wasn't wrong. They were already preparing to slice the throat of the first child when I interrupted. It was only thanks to pure luck that none of the children ended up dying. I felt no need to be merciful for those who were willing to commit mass kidnapping and murder for power, doubly so when I discovered a well-established child trafficking ring to be involved.

"A rain of swords huh? I guess your title of 'The Lord of Swords' isn't just for show."

My ear perked up at that. What did she call me? I could have sworn that I heard something really awesome. Does this mean for once I will have title I can be proud of?

"Actually," A voice that I was quickly beginning to learn to hate interrupted the conversation between me and Griselda, "Aniki's called the 'The Queen of Swords' not 'The Lord of Swords'."

"Oh, my apologizes. It seems that there was an error in one of the reports. I'll be sure to correct it and inform the rest of the Church of your proper title when I return."

_Saji, you son of bitch!_

"Still, to think that old Serafall would have finally gotten herself a Queen, I couldn't believe it when I first heard." She eyed me up and down for a second, "But I guess it was a good thing in the end. That girl needed to get laid for the longest time; I'm glad someone finally came around and popped her cherry."

Poor Sona had just begun to take a sip of her tea when Griselda's words hit her and she ended up doing a perfect spit-take as a result. After sputtering and coughing for a few seconds she managed to crocked out a, "What?"

Which was at least more than I could do, as all I did was gape at the sweet little old lady that just implied I was sleeping with my King. The two Exorcists were in no better state as they just stared incredulously at their superior.

"Boss/Griselda!" They exclaimed, red-faced.

"What?" Griselda didn't seem to be the slightest bit disturbed by how the rest of the room's occupants were staring at her as she calmly enjoyed her tea, "It's true. I don't know if Serafall ever had a man before but if she did it sure as hell was a long time ago. So long that I wouldn't be surprised if she grew her virginity back."

"Still," the twin tailed exorcists tried to reprimanded her, though the effect was ruined by her cherry red blush she was sporting, "you shouldn't talk about such things. You're a nun for Christ's sake."

"So? I wasn't always a nun you know. Did you think I came out of my mother's womb old or something? There once was a time when I was young and boy crazy too. Hell, I think it's you two with the problem here. You're going to be taking your vows soon; you girls need to live a little before them. Trust me there is nothing like riding a man or three to utter exhaustion to make you feel alive. One of the most enjoyable experiences in my old life I tell you." She finished with a nostalgic smile on her face and her eyes lost their focused as she lost herself in old memories.

…I am never going to be able to look at sweet little old ladies the same way again.

"Anyway!" Sona voice sounded a little bit too loud to be natural as she attempted what was a clearly blatant effort to change the topic, "you have my permission to enter my territory as long as you don't interfere in anything unrelated to your hunt for the Excaliburs and leave as soon as you're finished."

"Ah," Griselda nodded cheerful at that, "that's more than fair. Thank you dear for co-operating with us." Using her cane as a crutch, she pushed herself up to a standing position. "Before we leave, you wouldn't happen to know where we can find Rias Gremory. We expected to find her here in the school with you but as you can see she's nowhere to be found."

"If you head to the back of the school you'll find a patch of woods, in the middle of it is the old school building. You should find her there."

She nodded towards Sona, "Thank you again for hospitality. We'll get this whole mess settled out and be out of your hair as soon as we can." She was about to turn to leave before she looked like she remembered something.

"Oh and sonny," She turned towards me, "I'm sorry for how little Xenovia here acted. But don't worry, I promise you she'll be properly disciplined so that she'll never make the same mistake again." Xenovia froze rigid at her words and sweat actually began to breakout on her faces despite the coolness of the room.

"Still, I admit that this has gone a lot better than I hoped." Griselda stated as she began to make her way out of the room with the two girls trailing behind her, though Xenovia was walking far too stiffly to be natural. "If the meeting with Gremory goes just as smoothly we may have time to visit that boy of yours Irina. What was his name again? Is-shat?"

"It's Issei Boss." Irina corrected.

"Issei?" I interrupted when I heard the familiar name, "You wouldn't be talking about Hyoudou Issei by any chance?"

Irina turned and locked her violet eyes onto me. "Yes," she spoke cautiously, "do you know him?"

Well, this was gonna be awkward. While I wasn't sure about the details it was clear that this girl knew Issei and it was equally clear than she was unaware of his new statues as a Devil. How do you tell a girl that a friend of hers has been turned to one of the very creatures she has dedicated her life to slaying?

"Let's just say that you'll be seeing him sooner than you expect." I replied, decided that there was no point in hiding it, "Issei was reincarnated as Gremory's new Pawn a couple of weeks ago."

"…I see," Though she tried to hide it, it was clear she was saddened at the news, "What about the others? Did the same thing happen to them?"

I had no idea who she was talking about but I waved my arms to indicate the entire room, "As far as I know the only other humans that were reincarnated in this city are in this room."

She let loose a sigh of relief at that, "That's good, at least the others are OK." She turned back to Griselda, "Well boss, looks like I won't be able to hang out with Issei but my other friends should be fine. Maybe I'll go see how Kara-nee is doing after we're done."

"Sure we will, it's not often you get to visit your hometown in our line of work. You better enjoy it while you still can." Tsubasa trailed after them and shut the door behind them as soon as they stepped out of the Council room. The remaining occupants of the room physically relaxed and the atmosphere became less strained as soon as the unexpected guests had departed.

They weren't allowed to navigate the school unsupervised of course. Sona had already sent her Peerage's familiars to track them ever since they set foot on school ground and will continue to do while they remain in the city. I had no doubt that they, or at the very least Griselda, were aware of them but they could do a thing about them, not if they wanted things to stay peaceful between us.

"You know," Sona took off her glassed and massaged her eyes as she spoke, "this wasn't what I expected to do when I woke up this morning."

"That's what makes life interesting Sona," I tried to cheer her up, "can you imagine how boring life would be if you knew how your entire day would be the moment you open your eyes in the morning?"

"Better than waking up to find something like this dropped into my lap." She replaced her glasses and faced me, "And despite her cordial manner it was clear that Griselda was trying to warn us off."

"So you caught that too did you? Yeah, they wouldn't have revealed the swords to us so eagerly if they didn't want to scare us away. Though I have to admit that was perhaps the most polite way I had ever been told to back off before."

"Be truthful with me Shirou, how dangerous are they and what are our chances on taking them if they decide to get hostile? I couldn't get a good enough read on them from the swords they were carrying."

"They were strong Sona, Griselda far more than the other two." I decided to be frank with her. Sona was the type who functioned better with more information than less, no matter how unfavorable the situation was. "The two girls, you and the rest would have probably been able to take with little difficulty if they had ordinary swords. However going by how all of you reacted just by standing in the presence of the _Excaliburs_, you might only be able take one of them on at once, even then you'd risk losing a member or two of your Peerage at very least."

She grimaced at that before nodding, "And Griselda?"

"Run," I told her, "I'm not joking Sona just run. She isn't someone you can ever hope to face in battle and live. Old or not, as long as she had that sword in her hands she could take on both your and Gremory's entire Peerage at the same time and win without so much as a single wound to show for it."

I wasn't even exaggerating. Out of the three of them she was the only one to have truly mastered her sword, the other two have barely learned to use it beyond the basics. And the things she could do with that blade were almost frightening, even for by my standards. In some ways she reminded me of assassin, her speed of her strikes were simply that fast. Combined with the powers of Excalibur Rapidly and she was a speed demon.

Then there was the Xenovia, there was something off about that girl. As far as I can tell, the first time she had ever held that sword of hers was less than four days ago. Yet from what little practice she was able to squeeze in with it, it looked like she was already familiar with how her sword worked to an almost instinctive level. Even for a skilled swordsman you can't reach that level of familiarity with such an unusual sword unless you put in dozens of hours' worth of hands-on training, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.

"I see." She shut her eyes as she processed this, "And what about you? How would you fare against them if the worst occurs?"

I snorted at that, "Sona, as long as I'm not caught off guard I could take all three of them at once." Unlike the others I wasn't handicapped by the presence of the Holy Swords, so to me they are little more than ordinary humans.

Even before my transformation into a Devil I could have physically outperformed any one of them with reinforcement alone. As a Maou's Queen the gap in pure physical abilities would have made it almost impossible for them to have a chance. Factor in that they were swordsmen with blades inferior to my own and it'll be a massacre.

"We have that going for us at the very least. Still, what I don't understand is why the Excaliburs would even end up here. The influence of the Church may be weaker in Japan than the rest of the world but that applies to the rest of three-factions as well. Which means outside of Kyoto, there is nothing preventing the Church from sending its hunters here.

"So why did they try to hide out here. Politically there is nothing in Japan that can protect the thieves from the Church's wrath. That's not even tackling the issues of who stole the swords and why?"

I said nothing as I only half-heartedly listen to the rest of what Sona was saying as I came to a realization, one that I should have made days ago. I may not know why the swords were stolen, the who on the other hand was an entirely different matter.

* * *

><p>Really?<p>

I mean really? I know it was my fault for asking if it were possible for my life to get anymore insane that it already was but I didn't expect the universe to take it as a personal challenge. I swear if I didn't know God was dead I'd have been convinced that some higher power was trying to screw with me.

There sitting in the park bench before me was Asia, laughing and talking animatedly with the person she was sharing the bench with. She was so immersed in the discussion that she hasn't even noticed that I was here. Now that in itself wouldn't have been a strange occurrence. Asia always had a knack for starting up conversation with complete and utter strangers and in a matter of minutes they would end up talking like old friends.

No, it wasn't what she was doing that surprised me but _who_ she was doing it with that was the problem

I turned to look at the person sharing the bench with Asia. Kokabiel. The Fallen Angel himself Kokabiel was sitting right next to Asia, less than an arm's length away. And the guy looked like he was having the time of his life. Have you heard an Angel laugh? No, not laugh but _giggle_. That was what Kokabiel was doing, giggling his little Fallen ass off as he swapped stories with Asia.

As Asia gestured enthusiastically with her arms, something that she held in her hands caught my attention. Is that a –

"Yahoo~, Shirou." She cheerfully called out to me, waving her hands in an attempt to catch my attention even though I was less than six yards away and staring right at her.

Yup, that was definitely a can of beer alright. And going by the other one in Kokabiel's hand it looks like she decided to share. Oh Joy.

* * *

><p>"-And that is why you must <em>never<em>," Asia emphasized her point by pointing at him with her finger, "_ever_ look up two girls and cup on the internet. Trust me, sometimes forbidden knowledge is forbidden for a reason."

Kokabiel nodded solemnly at her words, as if he was receiving the words of the gospel from the mouth of Christ himself. "I promise you I shall head your words and never...ah what did you call it again... 'google'? Yes google! I promise to never google that phrase."

And as I watched all of this from the park bench across from theirs I finally began to understand what drove people to drink.

When I first came looking for Kokabiel in the park on the off chance he may show himself, I planned to confront him on the Excaliburs. I had expected many things to result from our confrontation. From a peaceful discussion to an outright fight to the death. But this, I never expected anything like this.

What made this worse was the T-shirt that Asia was wearing. It had the caption '_Unlimited Blade Works: The Hype is Real_' printed on it. I knew showing her my Reality Marble was a bad idea but I couldn't resist the urge to show off.

So as I sat there with my head cradled in my hands, I thought back and tried to figure out the exact moment that my life stopped making sense.

"You know, when I first heard that you left the Church I had been intending to recruit you." I was drawn away from my thoughts as the conversation between the two began to take a more serious turn.

"I must confess I was rather disappointed when I discovered your reincarnation into a Devil. Not only due to a loss of a potential ally but because I feared a question I had would remain unanswered." Kokabiel looked as peaceful and relaxed as he always did as he leaned back into the bench and watch Asia, "I never expected a chance of us to speak let this and it would be remiss of me to ignore this opportunity. So if you'll be kind of to permit me to question you on a personal matter."

"Sure," she chirped back cheerfully as she waved her fingers at him, "go right ahead."

"Thank you." He inclined his head slightly before his feature took a more solemn appearance, "Why did you leave the Church?"

…I had to admit I was curious too. Despite knowing about her history it was always due to the bits and pieces she let slip in her conversation or from second hand sources. I never talked to her about it, not wanting to pry, and she never brought it up.

"I am well aware that you had the option to stay. That the priests in the church were more than willing to cover up the incident with the Devil." Kokabiel shrugged with a disapproving frown, "After all it would not be the first time that they covered up a scandal. They had plenty of experience with the trouble their priests seem to find themselves in.

"And that was for ordinary members of the church, for a Holy Maiden I have no doubts they would have gone through great lengths for you to stay. So why, why leave when you didn't have to?"

"Hmm, why did I leave huh?" Despite of the seriousness of the question, Asia still looked as relaxed and cheerful as ever. Tilting her head back she looked up into the clear blue sky while she kicked her feet into the airs like a child. "Well, I guess you can say it was all thanks to these things."

She held out he hands and with a flash of green light, a pair of rings appeared on the middle finger of each of her hands.

"Twilight Healing?" Kokabiel sounded just as perplexed as I felt, "You left because of them?"

Asia nodded her head with a 'yup' before dismissing the rings and throwing her arms over the back of the bench. "I had always wondered," she mused, "did Twilight Healing make me the way I am or was I always like this and that was what drew them towards me.

"A Scared Gear chooses its wielder, and they always select one that resembles them. So do you know what it means to become the bearer of Twilight Healing? What are the traits that a person needs to have to qualify for it?" She turned towards Kokabiel as she asked.

"A desire to heal and help? A kind heart?" He guessed.

Asia shook her head, "Nope, its understanding." she answered, "Understanding is the most essential trait. Kindness and wanting to help is merely a side effect that stems from understanding. It's not surprising if you take a moment to think about it. After all you can't heal what you don't understand.

"Twilight Healing simply doesn't work like that. I can't just walk up to a coughing man, wave my Sacred Gear over him and just expect him to get better. Even if the cough does go away that doesn't mean that his illness is cured. Often a cough is only a symptom of the problem not the problem itself. So how can I cure him when I don't know what I needs to be cured?

"To truly fix something you must be able to recognize what is broken, that is why understanding is needed. I spent years studying medical knowledge and all I the information I could get on the human body to learn how to use my Twilight Healing and it was only after years of effort that I am able to use it on the level I could now.

"At first I could barely fix even cuts and scrapes. It took me three whole years to learn how to properly fix shattered bones and internal bleeding, and another three years on top of that to finally learn how to cure illnesses caused from viruses and bacteria, and I have only recently reached the point of where I can regrow entire organs though I'm still not quite good at it. And I still have more to learn, I have no idea how to fix genetic disorders yet, among other things.

"But understanding the body is not enough. You need to understand people as well. Understand how they think and why they behave the way they do. After all there are more to ways to hurt a person than to wound their flesh or shatter their bones, and the right words or a kind smile can heal just as well as any medicine or magic could at times, sometimes even better.

"That is why I was always watching people. As I was looking over them from my place during mass I would watch the people prey, during the small breaks I had in the hospitable between healing of patients I would watch their families as they waited anxiously in the waiting rooms, or through the glass out of my room's window I would watch people pass on by as they lived their lives. I was always watching. Trying to understand them, to know them. Before too long I became very good at it, almost absurdly so."

She lifts her hands towards her face, the sunlight falling between her fingers and casting a shadow of her hand over face. She started intently at the spot where Twilight Healing would form if she calls for it, "That is why I'm not sure if it was me or these rings that gave me this ability. I need only to observe a people to comprehend them, even just a few minutes is enough for time for me to understand a person more intimately than their closest friends and family.

"A handful of minutes are all I need to learn exactly what I should say to help a person or to hurt them, to understand what makes them tick better than they know themselves. Keep me in their presence long enough and no one could hide their true nature from my eyes, not anymore at least."

"While rare there are times that I only need so much as a single glance to understand a person, especially when they're the straightforward types." She smiled at me then, "It was like that with you Shirou. I didn't even need a whole second to figure you out. You know underneath it all, you're an astonishingly simple person."

…Was I hearing things or did Asia just call me an idiot?

She turned back towards Kokabiel and said, "So imagine, what I saw as I looked upon my fellow people of the Church. What I realized as I looked upon the sea of clergies, priests and nuns. People who swore themselves to God, who promised to do only good and speak no lie, to abandon all of the world's vices and dedicated themselves in the services of their fellow man and to put their wellbeing above their own."

_Ah_, I can see where this was going and from the sorrowful look Kokabiel was giving her it looked like he did too.

"Liars. Liars and hypocrites the lot of them." She dropped her hand with a bitter laugh, something that sounded so wrong coming from Asia.

"You know when I was a little girl I lived in this little out of the woods orphanage. One of the caretakers there was a nun, and she was the sweetest little old lady you'd ever seen. Every night when she tucked us into bed she would tell us about all the places she's been to and the things she's seen.

"Her parents were hikers and backpackers you see, and as a young girl they would take her along in their trips to all around the world. From the peaks of the Alps to the Sahara plains to the grass fields of Africa, she would travel to all these places and see the wonders they held.

"And it was what she saw there that made her believe in god. She would tell us about how she would stand on top of a mountain peak, so high up that the clouds were beneath her and the entire world fell down around her like panting. So close to the roof of the world that it felt as if she only needed to stretched her hand out and stand on her toes she'd be able to touch Heaven's beginning.

Or when she camped out at night by the side of lake so large you cannot see the end of it. How the stars would reflect off its still surface as if it were a mirror, and when she would look across the lake towards the horizon she could not tell where the earth ended and the heavens began.

It was when she saw these wonders that she began to believe in God. She would tell us that God was everywhere, not just in the pages of a book or within the walls of a church, but out there in the world he made. You can find him in the light of a sunrise or in the calming sounds of a running stream or even in a field of flowers. That to find God all you must do is look at the world around us and you'll see him reflected in his work.

"That is why I have always dreamed of seeing the world. Even after I had been discovered as the bearer of Twilight Healing and taken to the Vatican I still dreamt of it. Even though they told me the good book is all I needed, I still believed to find God I must look for him out in the world and not in a church run by men.

She lowered her sights and looked at the park around us. "I mean look at this, look at this world. To me it's a wonder to behold, a treasure to explore, I never could understand how people can go on living their lives without just stopping and staring at it all the time. Look at how everything in the world fits together just right, at how everything need to work in tandem with one another to function, from the smallest ant to the largest mountains. How can someone gaze upon this world and not see that someone had a hand its design. "

"This world is so hideous yet so very beautiful; a world full of painful screams yet filled joyful laughter. Something like this cannot be made by mere chance. That is why I believed in the existence of God. Not because of a priest that tells me it so or because of a book that is a copy of another book that is a copy of another commands me to believe. I believe because I look upon the world and see him reflected within it.

"I truly believe that the best way to know God, that to learn of him you must not look through the pages of a book or the words of a sermon, but by traveling and experiencing his world. I wanted to see world itself, to learn of all of his creations that live within it so I can understand him more.

"Those were the thoughts that plagued me as I looked out of my window every morning. That God cannot be found within the covers of a book no matter how holy but can only be found out there in his world. Out past those glass windows and beyond the gates of the Vatican."

She looked back towards Kokabiel. "And those people that stood beside me in the church were not believers of god, not really, not in the way it mattered. Oh they said all the right things but the words out of their mouth did not match their actions. In one line they told us to love one another for we are all God's children, while the in next they spew words of hatred and reject those who are not like us. To turn the other cheek and forgive but then they punish any that defies them with an iron fist. They tell us that God loves all his children but then say he hates those who are not Christian or do not come to mass or, and here is the most important bit, are not generous enough to donate to the church.

"And that was not even the worst of the lot. Many among them didn't even care about God only pretended to for the power and influence it will grant them. As they back-stabbed and lied to one other in order to make their way up the ranks of the Church. The moment that I discovered that the inner workings of the Church, something that I had believed in to be run by the just and good, resembled a politic battle than anything I had imagined it to be was one of the most shocking experience in my life.

"Those people, they didn't understand that what they were doing wasn't religion. Religion is the relation between an individual and God. It was a one on one connection, and it is between just the two of them and no one else. No man, no priest has the right to get between them or say whether a person is good or bad in the eyes of the Almighty. Or to choose whether you are going to Heaven or Hell. Only God can decide that but they claim to speak in his name as if God had personally walked down from the gates of heaven and appointed them as his voice."

Asia lifted her beer to lips and took several long swallows before continuing. "All the while I was trapped among them. I was a teenager when I first realized that they didn't care for me. That all of their kind smiles and praises was nothing but methods to control me, like giving a dog a treat when they did good to train them how to behave. It was then that I knew that they didn't see me as a person or an individual, but a tool. One too important to ever let go of. I was nothing but a caged bird and didn't know it till then."

"Ah, but don't get me wrong here." She waved her hands at us. "It's not like they were all bad, there were plenty of good people in the church. The nuns and fathers in the catholic orphanage was filled with the most wonderful people I have ever met. It's just that," she lowered her hands, "well, not in the place where I was later taken to when they discovered I was the bearer of Twilight Healing. The Vatican is not a place people reach by being humble and modest after all. Most of the ones that rule there have more in common with politicians than true priests.

"It was then a question entered my mind, 'What am I doing here?'. I knew God could not be found in these tainted halls so why am I even here? Then that was followed by 'I want to leave, I want to leave this place'. Not the service of God but the Church. I haven't lost even a shred of my faith in my beliefs, not then or now, just my faith in the Church.

"But I knew I could not simply leave, that they would not allow me. After all, who will set free the goose that lays the golden egg simply because it wishes to fly? The preachers may tell the masses to be generous and do good, but no one had ever accused them of practicing what they preach."

"Then an opportunity appeared before me. It was as if God himself sent down a miracle to set me free from my prison. But it was not an Angel that God sent to save me but a Devil. It happened when I was walking in a nearby park to the hospital that I was working that day, one of many that was owned by the Church. He fell from the sky and landed practically on my feet in a pile of wings and blood, pleading for my help."

Asia shook her head, "And here I thought that Devils were supposed to be excellent liars. I only needed a single glance to tell that the Devil was faking. I am a healer after all and it was easy for me to tell a real wound from a self-inflicted one. I have been called naïve before but no had ever accused me of being stupid.

"Why would he ask me, a nun, for help when there was a hospital half a mile away? Why would he not bother to hide his true form but instead have his wings out in the open so that no one that laid their eyes upon him would doubt what he was? It was clear that he wanted to use me, for what purpose I did not know. In the end it didn't matter as I quickly realized that this was my chance to be free, so I decided to use him instead.

"It was incredibly easy too, I didn't even have to do a thing. The Devil must have somehow set the whole thing up for I had scarcely begun to heal him when one of the priests walked in on us. You would not believe the amount of uproar that soon followed and, well to keep a long story from becoming even longer I was excommunicated.

"Oh several people tried to get me to stay and offered to cover the scandal up, some who genuinely wanted to help me, others who just wanted to keep their Holy Maiden, while others who wanted…favors in return. I declined them all of course, this was what I wanted after all."

Asia sat up and shot us both a beaming smile. "At last I was free! Free to explore world and its wonders, to finally experience it rather than that watch it go by through the windows of an empty room. I walked out of the church with a skip in my step and a smile on my lips as I began my journey to discover God…then I found out that God was dead." Then she slumps back into the bench. "Well, Shit!"

I could not explain why but both Kokabiel and I broke out laughing at that.

"Surprisingly that was my reaction as well." She flashed us a weary smile, "When I realized that God was dead, I laughed. I just laughed and laughed at the absurdity of it all. In the end after all my efforts, despite my most fevered of wishes the one that I was looking for, that I wanted to meet so very much has already been gone long ago." She looked down into her beer can for a moment before she took another swing from it.

A gentle hand griped her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. She raised her head to find Kokabiel looking down at her with an equal mixed of understanding and sorrow.

"And what about now?" He inquired, "Now that you are aware that God is gone, have you surrendered your faith?"

"No." There was no hesitation, no give in her words. The look she gave the Fallen as she stared back into his eyes had more than a little steel in them. "It makes no different whether he is here with us or not. I did not follow God for his strength or the promised rewards in the afterlife. I bent my knee and prayed to him to thank him for his kindness, for the love he gave us though we may not have been worth it at times.

"I followed him because I believed that his words, the message and teachings he bestowed upon us, are true. To do good even when it is hard. Be kind to others even when there is nothing to gain to from it. Help a stranger as you would a brother. Tell no lies even if the truth is a difficult burden to bear. To love and forgive one another, even when it is easier to hate. And above all else, remember, to always have kindness.

"I pray to him not because he is _a_ God but because he is a _kind_ God, one that tries to teach to love one another. And God's passing, no matter how tragic it may be, has made his words no less true."

It is easy to forget sometimes how strong this girl was. That behind her somewhat goofy exterior lays a person who lived a hard life yet still has the strength to face each day with a smile.

For the first time since I had met him did I see Kokabiel lose his composure as he stared wide eyed and astounded at Asia, his jaw hanging slightly open in his surprise. For a while he said nothing as he just stared at her. Then he threw his head back and laughed.

It echoed through the park like the ringing of bells and warmed me as if sunlight was shining upon my soul. It was a pure thing, like a child's first smile or the warmth of mother's embrace.

"You," He beamed down at Asia with more joy that it would have made even the most jaded of men smile at the sight, "are one of the most remarkable people I have ever met. Truly remarkable. At first I had wondered if you were like Shirou but no, I was wrong. You're not like him at all. You're like _me!_" He laughed again.

"Though we are both forever barred from wandering through Heaven's halls we still follow him. Even though your soul was stained with your resurrection, just like my wings were with my fall, you still haven't lost a shred of your faith. No, perhaps it has even grown stronger."

He shook his head in wonderment, "Truly, it is a shame that you two never met. I'm sure Father would have adored you. He had always feared that people had only followed him because of his might not out of their own desires. To know that someone would still choose to believe in him even though he no longer has anything to offer would have brought him nothing but unmatched joy."

Asia shot him a cheerful little smile at that, "That is perhaps the greatest complement you could have given me." She took another swing from her beer only to pause, confused. She lifted the beer can to eye level and peered inside. "Well it looks like I'm out of beer." She said before tossing the can into a nearby garbage bin.

She hopped out of the bench and gave us a wave, "I guess I'll take that as a sign that I've had enough for the day." She began to make her ways out of the park but not before calling out over her shoulder. "Now don't be a stranger Kokabiel. I expect you visit me whenever you're in the neighborhood, ok?"

Kokabiel shook his head sadly at her. "No, I apologize but I don't think we'll ever meet again. No matter how things play out it is unlikely that I will have much more time left to live." Then he smiled back at her, "Still, though it was just a onetime meeting I am truly grateful for the chance to get to know you."

Asia paused in her tracks, swiveled in place and narrowed her eyes as she stared at Kokabiel. The look she was giving him reminded me of the ones that Griselda had given me. Then her expression softened before turning to one that held an equal mix of sorrow and understanding. "Ah…I see. Well in that case be sure to die with a smile on your face, it'll be too sad an ending otherwise."

He graciously lower his head, "Now that is a promise I can keep."

Spinning in her spot again she resumed her journey, "It was fun meeting you Kokabiel." She waved with one last look behind her, "I'll be sure to keep you in my prayers."

As she walked away I saw her clasp her hands together and say "Dear heavenly father thank you- OUCH! Oh come on! Will you cut that out already, it's getting pretty old. Not to mention petty. What happen to all that forgive and forget crap you kept going on about?"

Kokabiel shook his head at the sight, "Remarkable," he turned to face me, "how did you ever find one like her?"

"I didn't find her, she found me." At his inquisitive expression I elaborated. "I had just finished returning some lost children to their parents when she just walked up to me in the middle of the street and straight out asked me if I had any Evil Pieces. When I said yes she asked me to make her a part of my Peerage."

"And you just accepted? Without even knowing who she was?"

"I just asked her why she wanted to join my Peerage and she answered 'To be happy'." I shrugged, "What could I do after that but accept."

"You didn't know she had a Sacred Gear did you?"

I shook my head, "Nope."

Again he smiled at me and it was as if the world had become a better place because of it. "See, this is why I can't help but like you two. No, why I like humans. You'd never meet people as foolish nor wonderful as you two in any other race." He lost his smile, "It is also why it's so sad to see so many of humanity's greatest lose themselves to the Devil kind."

"And what is so bad about being reincarnated as a Devil if they do so willingly?" While I had a feeling I knew why, I wanted to make sure.

He looked at me with knowing eyes that was filled with sorrow because of it. "Did you think that there was no to price to pay to becoming a Devil?" he questioned, "That you merely gain a pair of bat-wings, some magic and that was it?"

He didn't even wait for me to answer as he continued, "Humans are beings of infinite potential, though they start out as so little they quickly grow to achieve so much, immeasurably faster than any other race. But when they become Devils that potential, that glimmer of human ingenuity is lost.

"You would not be able to see at the start but give it time and it'll become apparent that something is missing. That something, that little spark of human potential which truly made you human is gone, put out like the flame of a candle. Meet an adult human every decade and they'll be an entirely different person at each meeting. Meet a matured Devil every decade and they are likely to be the exact same person they were a dozen meetings ago. That is what you give up in your reincarnation, your ability to truly change, to grow.

"Look at the Underworld and you shall see all the proof you need. Look at their cities, at their technology, at their greatest of monuments and you'll find that they are nothing but a reflection of human designs. That all of their immortality and eons of knowledge, they needed to imitate human science and relay on human discoveries to progress as a species instead of discovering them on their own.

"God himself command his Angels to kneel down to humans not Devils because he knew that humans were superior to both us and them. Yet look at the world now, people jumping in droves at the chance to become Devils as if they were becoming something more rather than something less."

He shook his head sorrowfully, "Why, why would they do it? They gave up their humanity, their immortal soul and for what? Power, eternal youth, carnal pleasures? For such worthless things they gave up something that would put them even above the greatest of Heaven's Angels? Truly I cannot comprehend why they would do such a thing."

"Then what about me?" I asked, "I did the same thing as the others but you don't seem to have a problem with that."

"And why did you it? Why did you agree to become a Devil?"

"…To save my sister's life."

Again he smiled. "And that my friend makes all the difference. You didn't do it for yourself but for others. I have met and heard of tens of thousands of Reincarnated Devils in my time but you would not believe how rare it is to hear of one that willingly surrendered their humanity not for their own gain but another's. I can count them all in the fingers of my two hands."

"And Asia?"

"Like I have said, Asia is like me. We are both Fallen but still we continue to follow his will."

I just shook my head, I had a feeling that there was something there that I was missing but I didn't have time to waste anymore. This wasn't what I came here for, I've gotten side-tracked from my original goal enough as it is.

"Kokabiel," I spoke with all the authority I could muster, "why did you steal the Excaliburs?"

He smiled fondly at me, not even trying to deny my accusation. Instead he held out a single hand before him and with a flash of light, he was now holding a sword in his once empty hand.

Anyone can tell in a glance that it was ceremonial sword, one unsuited for combat. It had an ivory hilt with sapphires embedded into the middle in the shape of a cross, while the pommel and the cross-guard were plated with gold. The blade was long and thin, and though it looked solid as it gleamed in the sunlight I knew that despite all the magic that courses through its veins it was no stronger than ordinary steel.

"Out of all the blades in existence," He twirled the sword in his grip as he looked on it with clear distaste, "there is none that I hate more than this one. It is a Holy Sword in name only, in truth it is an abomination. Something that twists then subjugates the mind and breaks the spirit. One only needs to gaze upon it see how far the Church has fallen from what it once was. That they would dare craft such a thing from the remains of a true Holy Sword then to call it holy," He shook his head, "I have no words to describe how sickening that is."

With another flash of light the sword was gone from his hands. He then turned his gaze towards mine and gave me his complete attention. "You ask me what my plans are." He held out his hands, "Truthfully even I'm no longer entirely what they are anymore."

"You expect me to believe that you stole the Excaliburs without a plan in mind?" Not bothering to mask my skepticism.

"Oh no," He shook his head, "I did most assuredly have a plan, a rather good one as a matter fact but I no longer believe following it through would be the best course of action." He gripped his hands together as he continued, "My original plan was to start a war by murdering both Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri."

I felt my blood freeze in their veins at his words and my heart turn to stone. Did he just…?

"Not fight them but _murder_ them." He carried on speaking in the same tone of voice he used all day, as if discussion the murder of teenaged girls was just another normal conversation topic. "I planned to sneak into their homes as they slept, just like I sneaked into their city, and stab them through their cold black hearts with the broken blades of the Excalibur as they slumbered unaware of their coming demise.

"No theatrics, no melodrama, just ruthless efficient murder. And with the coming dawn I would have my war. When the Maou rush to their siblings' side and witness their corpses skewered by the Church's beloved blades they will grant me my wish. In their rage they will not wonder whether they were innocent of the deed or not, they will merely desire for someone to suffer their wrath and the Church will make for a convenient target. And when that happens I will lead all the Fallen I could muster to join in the battle.

"And just like that," He clapped his hands together, "the second Great War would have begun and no one would have been able to stop me."

I had never suffered from vertigo before, but I was sure if I did it would have felt something like this. Here we are still sitting in the same park that we were just having fun with Asia just minutes ago. The sun was still shining in the clear sky, it was warm beautiful day and now I find myself setting across from a monster.

The worse of it was he didn't look any different. His noble and inhumanly beautiful face didn't twist into a hateful sneer, his eyes kind eyes didn't turn blood red and fangs didn't sport from his peaceful smile. He look, well, he still looked like an Angel even as he talked about cold blooded murder in the same tone of voice he spoke to be about the wonders of the human soul.

It was surreal, as if for a moment the world didn't make sense anymore.

"And how did you even plan to get close enough to them?" I decided to attack the holes in this plan while I took the time to gather my wits, "The Bounded fields that warded their homes are first class, and I checked them over myself. It would have been impossible for you to break through them before they have a chance to teleport away, let alone slip by completely undetected."

In reply he raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

A cold steel blade was pressed against the right side of my neck, so close to my jugular that it only need a quick twist to slice clean through it. Another was placed on the base of my spine; a single thrust was all it needed to paralyze me from the waist down. A third blade was held horizontal to the ground and pointed tip first in the preparation to pierce through my armpit and into lungs from where it was located unearth my left arm. The last blade was located on the right side of my torso, positioned between my ribs and ready to plunge into my liver. I didn't even have time to blink.

_When did he!?_

Though I couldn't see them I could feel the light element running through all four blades, humming to my senses like high-powered electricity though a steel cable. Even with my Queen's fortitude, I was not sure if it would slow these blades enough to make a difference.

Fortunately I didn't have to find out. With another snapped of his finger, all four blades were withdrawn and the ones who were holding them leapt over the back of bench to kneel down beside Kokabiel feet.

"Emiya Shirou, allow me to introduce you." He indicated with a wave of his hands at the four kneeling figures who waited silently by his side, "These four are my personal guards. They are the Elite of my army, my most loyal of servants and above all else they are my friends. A truer bunch you'll never find.

"They have been with me from the very beginning. They stood by my side as I defended Heaven as one of its soldiers, and they never left it even after my Fall, leaving Heaven willingly to come to my aid." The love and affection he held for them was clear in voice.

I only gave him half of my attention as he spoke while the rest of my mind tried to puzzle out the four enigmas before me. Even when they were standing before me I could hardly even tell that they were there. I could see them with my eyes just fine but as far as I can sense them with my magic they may as well not have been there. Hell, I couldn't even hear them! Only by reinforcing my ears was I able to hear them move and even then they were hardly louder than the sound of their heartbeats.

Their heads and faces were wrapped with a bluish grey cloth, masking their features leaving only their eyes uncovered. They were dressed in varying shades of blue and grey clothing that covered from the neck down. Grey leather amour and gauntlets were worn over their clothing, and on their feet's were some kind of greyish moccasin.

Strapped to their sides where short Japanese styled swords, a tanto. The tiny blades may have not been best for heavy combat but they were more than suitable for killing. Though fragile the edge of the blades were sharp enough to pierce through armour, and they had just enough light energy running through them to pierce through a Devil's defense but not enough to make them easy to detect. Not unless you were actively looking for it.

"I wouldn't bother trying, for all the years I've known them even I can't sense them any longer. Not as they are now." He looked upon them with melancholy etched in his face, "Once they were powerful six-winged angles, with enough magic coursing through their bodies that you would have sensed them from miles away. Now in their wingless states however, you wouldn't realize they were there even if they hid in your own shadow."

"Wingless?" I never heard that term before.

"They ripped their own wings offs." He nodded sadly at my horrified expression when I realized that they had mutilated themselves. "At their current state they barely have enough raw magic in them match an average human mage or a Low-class Devil."

"But can't wings grow back? And even if they can't it doesn't explain how they losing them ties into them to losing their magic." I knew that the amount of wings an Angel or Fallen had symbolized that amount of raw power they possessed, it didn't mean that cutting off their wings would destroy their power.

"If they were merely cut off then you would have been correct, but the wings were pulled out by very their roots. The same ceremony they used to remove them had left their bodies' internal magic system and magical capacity undamaged and till functioning but it completely obliterated their magical reserves. In their current state the amount of Mana they can generate is so little that they are no longer capable of casting any powerful spells."

"Still, that doesn't explain why I can't sense them." Even though I was far from skilled in sensing magic I should have still been able to sense _something_. Kokabiel claimed they had they magic comparable to that of human mage but as far as I can tell there was nothing there. Every living being had some magic in them, even ordinary people had some, but these four had nothing. They were like the gravel of a road, equally devoid of both life and magic.

"It is rather simple if you thing about it. Their magic has been cut to a small fraction of what it originally was but they didn't lost any of their control over it. Right now these four possess a fully functional magic system that was meant to hold and manipulate thousands of times more Mana than it currently has running through it. With such a powerful system still in place, combine to their not inconsiderable skills in the craft of magic, and it was far from difficult thing for them to learn how to surpass they magical presence even more."

"They stole were the ones to steal the Excaliburs weren't they." It made sense. The thieves were able to break in and out of the Church without ever being detected. It also explained why only four of the seven swords were stolen. He didn't have enough people to go after the other three.

"I believe Asia put it perfectly when she said you can't heal someone when you don't understand what's broken. It's the same concept with the wards, how can you expect them to block something when they can't even recognize them as threats. Even the Church's Bounded Fields registered their presence as nothing more than a gust of wind, if they even registered them at all.

"Compared to that, the Bounded Fields protecting the Gremory and Sitri would have been child's play. They would have snuck into the just as easily as they had snuck past the guards that surrounded the city and completed their missions without anyone ever realizing they were ever there."

I wanted to deny it, but he was right. If they could sneak past all of the Church's security when they had dozens of exorcists guarding the swords what chance did the ones we had here have? I haven't been able to spot any of them when I was actively looking for them. It was entirely possible for me to have gone asleep one night and wake up the next morning to find Sona dead.

"Why?" That was the one thing I didn't get from all of this, what did he want a war for? From what I had seen of him Kokabiel wasn't the type to enjoy killing, maybe not even battle. He didn't seem to be a bad person at all. Hell if I was being honest with myself I even liked the guy. And I knew that there was no way he was putting on an act, between Asia and me we would have noticed if he had. So why? "If you restart the Great War, there will be no winners. All Three of the faction will die.""

His eyes locked onto mine, "That, Son of Adam, is the entire point."

"You…You want to destroy the Three Factions?"

He raises an open hand towards the sky, "Once, one only needed to look up in the sky to know that justice lived. That there was still good in the world. No matter how hard the times or dark the night, all you needed to do was look up in the sky and know that there just beyond your sights laid Heaven, and it was a place where the righteous lived, where they stood guards and watch over you and would give their life to protect you no matter how powerful the foe. And at its heart, seated on the throne of Heaven, sat a just God. A God whose kindness was unmatched, a God who loved you with all his heart."

He lowered his hand, "But that is no longer so.

"Heaven has forsaken its duty. Our beloved God is dead and his dying wish was to protect humanity, his children from the supernatural. To guard them from the beings that would hunt them in the dark, which would feast on the young and weak, and that would corrupt the good and strong among them. Just as they are doing right now.

"And yet where is Heaven's legions? Where are they when the innocent call out for help? Where are they when children are hunted down and killed like cattle? Where are the promised protectors, where are the shepherds to guide the faithful, the guardians to protect the weak in their time of need? Where are they?

"They sit within the gates Heaven, enjoying its spenders while the innocent suffer beneath their feet.

"Michael has abandoned humanity. No worse, that traitor has become the very thing that we were supposed to guard humanity from. He feasts upon their beliefs and exploits their faith in us, all the while claiming it is for their own good. Good? GOOD! He dare he call what he does good?

"He chains and control them by masquerading as God, it is a sin to pretend to be a God yet he sees nothing wrong with his actions? He is lying and deceiving them all the while he hides the truth of father's death, and for what? To protect Heaven? Heaven was meant to stand guard over its people, Heaven was supposed to be the home of the righteous and brave. Heaven was to fight back the darkness to protect the weak and innocent. Yet what do they do? They stand back and do thing.

"Heaven's legion sits back, their weapon lay untouched in their sheath and their rusted armour lay abandoned on the ground, as they watch the people they were duty sworn to protect are pillaged and exploited, all so that Heaven may survive. I ask you this, what is the point of Heaven when it serves no other purpose than its survival?

"Even as the faithful scream for help, they beg for God to save them, to save their children. And how does Michael answer them? He commands them to pray." A bitter and painful laugh broke out from Kokabiel. One made painful to hear knowing it came from an Angel. "Pray, that is what they have been doing the entire time you hypocritical fool. And when you do no not answer their prayers you wonder why people no longer believe in God?

"All the while this is happening, the Devils are exploiting Heaven's lack of vigil. They steal humanity's greatest and strongest with promises of riches and power, and the moment they get hold of them they turn them to little more than slaves. They promise to love and protect, while in truth they are the source of the danger that they need protecting from. You just need to look at that poor child Hyoudou Issei for proof."

"You know about Issei?" I don't know why it surprised me so much but it did.

"Of course I know of him. He is another one of my mistake, another innocent I failed to protect." Kokabiel eyes looked broken as he stared at me. "I was the one who sent the Fallen to watch over and protect him from the Devils."

"But it was the Fallen Angels that killed him!" There was no doubt about that.

"I know, such is the greatness of my folly that my actions had led to the events that I wanted to prevent." Though his face remained calm there was a hint of barely restrained anger in his voice. "Those fools seemed to have misinterpreted my orders. When I commanded them to 'protect the boy from the Devils who are after his Sacred Gear' they apparently heard 'prevent the Devils from getting the boy's Sacred Gear' instead.

"They were punished for their crimes."

At that phrase something clicked in my mind, "You were the one who killed them."

He nodded solemnly, "All Angels, Fallen or not, are meant to guide and protect people. For one of my own kind to kill an innocent child for their own gain is a crime I simply cannot forgive."

"To make matters even worse," he continued, "my original fears were confirmed. The Devils were lying in wait, aware that child would get killed yet sat back and did nothing. Only after he died did they reveal themselves. They resurrected him and enslaved him while they pretend to play the roles of the Heroes. All the while they hide the truth, that they had played just as much a role in his death as the Fallen that hurled her spear at him.

"And Issei was not the only child to suffer such a fate. Every day there are hundreds just like him, children that are tricked, exploited or coerced into Devilhood. Devils tend to prefer recruiting the young over the old when they are able to, as they find them easier to train and manipulate. And again what does Heaven do during through all of this? Nothing. For their own survival, they believe that such _sacrifices_ must be made. As if it is much of a sacrifice to them when it is someone else who has to pay the price.

"What truly makes the situation bleak is how the Devils deliberately aim for humans with Sacred Gears. They were God's gift to humanity, bestowed upon your race to protect them, to give them the means to fight back the monsters that hunt them in the night. Sacred Gears belong to humankind and no other race.

"And what happens to them? They became tools for the Devil instead. The very thing they were meant to fight. If there is one good thing that came about with Father's passing is that he never lived long enough to see how his gifts were perverted in such away.

"And then there are the Fallen. Do I even need to mention them? Though they maybe my own kind I hate them the most of all. Out of all three they are the most selfish of the lot. Our lord has granted them the wonders of Heaven since the day they were created and they betray him for their own greed and selfishness.

"Look at Azazel, he surrendered into his own lust and in doing so he betrayed his wife just so he can procreate with a dozen different human women."

"Angels can get married?" I blurted out. I don't know why buy I thought angels were supposed to be eternal virgins or something.

The amused smile told me Kokabiel could tell what I was thinking. "Of course we can. Love is one of the many gifts God had bestowed upon the world and what is the marriage but the culmination of love. Did you think that our Lord will denied his Angels one of his greatest gifts? No, while it is rare I confess, Angels can fall in love with one another and marry."

"But Azazel," The smile slipping off his face, "he was one of the lucky few. He found a love so true and pure that even the Lord happily blessed his marriage. His wife _adored_ him above any other, perhaps even more than she loved our Father. But Father did not care, so delighted he was in his children's happiness. And what did he do with that love? He betrays hers.

"Have you ever seen an Angel with a broken heart before? Be grateful that you did not have the misfortune to. In all my years I have never seen a more tragic sight, and I hope to never do so again. When something as pure as an Angel loves they cannot hold back, they give everything into their love. And when that love is betrayed, they die.

"After Azazel's Fall, Heaven's hall was filled with the echoes of Hadraniel's weeping. For a hundred days and a hundred nights her tears did not stop. And when the hundredth night came to an end, so did poor Hadraniel.

"There is a reason that Azazel is one of only two Fallen that God has never offered the chance for redemption. Some sins are to grave to ever forgive. That is why I hate the Fallen. That is why I hate all the Factions.

"The three-faction are no longer needed in the world. They are a relic of an age long gone, leaches who only continue to survive by sucking the life blood of others. Have you not wondered why human's prospered over the years but the three factions number continues to dwindle? Even centuries after the end of the Great War the Three faction continue to shrink while the rest of the world grows.

"It is because the Three Factions are nothing but the rotting corpse of a great beast that refuses to accept its demise. And in its desperation to survive it clings to whoever happens to be nearby, and by doing so they drag them down with them with them into their doom.

"That is why I cannot allow the abomination that the Three Factions have become to continue to exist. They are a diseased limb that needs to be amputated before they infect the rest of the world with their poison. That is why I planned to kill the two Heirs and bring era of the Three Faction to a proper end before they cause any more harm."

"But you changed your mind." I added.

"But I changed my mind." He nodded in agreement. "As something rather unexpected occurred. Something… that was truly remarkable. A Devil with a human soul had been discovered.

"Such a thing was unheard of, an impossibility. When a human is reincarnated into a Devil they must accept a Devil's magic into their body and no soul, not even man's, can accept so much of their foul magic into their being and remain untainted and yet, there you stand before an impossibility made real. A soul so whole and pure that is shines with all the brightness of a sun.

"Once again, the human spirit has achieved the impossible. Once again your kind as surpassed anything I could have dream of you achieving. It was then that I began to wonder, could I have been wrong? Was there perhaps another way? I didn't know, so I decided to make sure."

"And that's how we met for the first time, you came looking for me."

Kokabiel nodded, "I confess that it wasn't due to serendipity that we met, because as you had correctly guessed I actively sought you out. But can you truly blame me? How could I not look for you when all of my guards," he waved his hand toward the four fallen he remained silently kneeling the entire time, "swore to me that they had seen a Devil enter the sacred ground of a church yet grew no weaker for it, as if the church had welcomed his presence."

I cast my eyes on the silent four, and even now I still had trouble realizing that they were there, "They were still in the church when I got there, weren't they?"

"Yes. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that they were able to trail you the entire time you were there without you noticing. But having a second-hand report is not the same as seeing it with my own two eyes, and when the fate of the world hangs on the balance of my decisions I needed to make sure.

"But it was after out meeting that I began to have doubts in my course of action.

"I did not foresee a Devil with a human soul and yet there you stand before me. So I had to question myself, if I could not predict such a development was there something else I did not foresee as well? Was it possible for mankind to still prosper even in the grips of the Devils? Could your kind's potential bring about another miracle, one that I, a mere Angel cannot even comprehend?

"Father had wanted the world to be free from the influence of both Heaven and Hell. He wanted to see a world crafted by man and man alone. That is why he fought the Great War, that is what he died for. Not out of hatred but love, not to destroy the Devils but to protect the humans from their influences.

"Yet here I am deciding the course of humanity, as if I was the almighty himself. How does this make me any better than the Devils? I could not help but wonder if my pride had gotten the best of me. That in my hubris I believed I knew what was best for the world. Did I even have the right to decide such a thing? And yet I cannot simply sit back and do nothing while the innocent suffer all around me.

"It was after many days of contemplation that I had stumbled onto an answer. One that can determine the fate of the world in a way that would not betray Father's will."

"Emiya Shirou," He turned his imploring eyes towards me, "Will you please kill me?"

…What?

Not even giving me enough time to gather my scattered wits he carried on, "I cannot stop, not after going so far, not while so many continue to suffer all around me. Yet I no longer believe I have the right to decide the fate of the world. Or at least, not by me alone. That is why the future will be determined between us, a Son of Heaven and a Son of Man.

"Tonight, I will enact a plan that will reignite the Great War. And this time, I will not stop until I had brought about the end of the Three Faction. And it will be at that moment, just before the point of no return, I shall give you a chance to kill me.

"I will not make it easy for you of course. I intend to fight you with all of my might; I shall call upon all of my magic and forces to strike you down Child of Man. I will hold nothing back and I expect you to do the same. And with that, I will let the potential of man determine the fate of the world. Just like father intended.

"Will the spirit of man that burns inside you emerge victorious and prove that even in the world's current hardship humans can still prosper, or will you prove that your existence was nothing but a fluke, a product of chance and that the future of mankind is doomed so long as the Faction continue to exist and exploit them.

"No matter what the outcome may be, I will make sure that man will have a hand in shaping in its own future." He folded his hands over his laps and calmly relaxed into his bench.

"And what's," I began when it became apparent that he had nothing else to add, "stopping me from ending you right now?"

His lips curved into a tiny smiled and he indicated with hands to the empty space on either side of him. I just stared at the spot for a few seconds before I raised an eyebrow at him. What exactly was I supposed to be looking at?

_Wait a minute_. What happened to the guards?

A blade was place on the right side of my neck. Ah, never mind, found them.

"What's stopping you? Simple, if you wait for tonight I promise you that I will fight you out in the open. No subjection or traps, just a clean open battle. And while I'll not be alone, my elite guards will not participate in our fight. They will sit it out and observe our battle as witness. Does that seem fair to you?"

"Fair enough." I would have nodded if I weren't sure I'd cut my throat on the guard's blade. Fortunately the blade disappeared the next second, but I still had no idea where his guards was hiding and I wasn't willing take my eyes off Kokabiel to turn around and look for them.

"Then it appears we have an accord." Kokabiel raised from his seat and gave me a single bow before leaving. "I wish you best of luck tonight Emiya Shirou."

"I won't need it. There is no way you're going to end up winning tonight. Not just for the sakes for the people I'm protecting but for yours as well." He stopped in his track and turned to look at me. "Kokabiel let me make one thing clear, I don't believe that you are wrong about the three Factions nor do I believe that you are a bad person. However that doesn't mean I'm going to sit back and watch you commit mass genocide, no matter how justified you believe it to be."

"Oh?" He didn't seem upset about my declaration, just curious, "And why is that?"

"Do you know what a hero is?" I asked instead, "I once met a man who thought himself a hero. He wanted to so badly save everybody. Even though he knew it was impossible, he tried to save everyone he could see anyway. No matter the cost he threw himself into the line of fire time and time again to save as many lives as he could. It did not matter to him if they friends, enemies or complete strangers, he would risk his life to save theirs without thought of loss or gain.

"Yet he could still not save everybody no matter how hard he tried, so he had to choose who to save. Should he save the three people to his left or the ten on his right? The decision may appear to be an easy one but to him, who wanted to save everyone, it tore into his soul. But the same situation propped again then again, and each time he choose to the save the many over the few.

"Then came the time where he had to face the same decision again, where he had to choose who to save, the many or the few. Only in this case among the few that needed saving was one of his dearest friends. In such a situation anyone would have hesitated on what to do but not him, oh no. He was a hero and to him a hero is someone who saves as many people as he could. And that was why he abandoned his single friend to save the lives of a dozen strangers.

"But that's wrong, completely and utter wrong. That's not being a Hero, not even close.

"A hero is not someone who simply saves lives, he is far more than that. Nor is he someone who defeats evil, that's what we have soldiers and the police for. To fight back the darkness is not enough to become a hero, a hero needs to be the bringer of light as well.

"What is the point of living for hundred years of misery? Wouldn't it be better to live a single day full of joy instead. What is the point of saving one's life if they end up crying to the end of their days? Would it not be better to the let them die happy instead.

"Listen Kokabiel, no matter what you do death comes to us all in the end. Whether it is a single day from now or a million, all of our time is limited. And when our time comes, and we look back upon our lives, we do not judge whether our life was a good one or not by the number of days that we lived but the number of times we laughed, the number of times we had smiled. That is how we decide if our lives were worth living.

If a Hero is simply someone that just stalls the inevitable that is death then what's the point of him? A Hero must be more than that. A true Hero is not someone who simply saves a life but someone who makes that life worth living, someone that bring joy to that existence. Or else there would be no point to it all.

"That is why Kokabiel I'm gonna save you. Tonight I will come and kill you, but when I do I'll make sure you fulfill your promise to Asia. I'll make sure you'll die with a smile."

"And why is that Son of Man?" He looking at me strangely, as if he was expecting to see something in particular but found himself being confronted by something else entirely.

"Simple," I jerked a thump at myself, "it's because I'm a hero. The real thing."

He just stared at me dumbfound, as if I had grew a second head, eyes wide open in surprise. Then he began to laugh. And I mean _really_ laugh, as in 'he laughed so hard that he had to prop his hands on his knees to keep himself from falling over' kind of laugh.

I felt my cheeks burn as I watched the Angel hyperventilate from laughter. It was not the first time I had someone laugh at my dream, not even close, but it felt different this time. Not sure if it was because I'm a Devil now or because it was an Angel laughing at me but it was embarrassing.

After what felt like hours Kokabiel's laughter finally subsided, though he still let out the occasional chuckle. "Let me say it again," He said all the while smiling at me teary eyed," I can't help but adore your kind. And though our acquaintance may have been a short one. I am truly glad to have met you.

"So I guess this is goodbye Son of-… no. Goodbye Shirou."

"Goodbye Kokabiel." I replied and with one final bow he was gone.

Just the instant before he left I did something that I was always loathed to do, I looked into his soul. It was just for a brief instant but it was still enough for me to get my answer.

Why did Angels fall?

Some fell willingly, others fell unknowingly. I had been told there were only those two reason, yet today it seems I had discovered another.

Loyalty

When I looked into his soul, into the heart of his being that was the one thing that I could see. It eclipsed everything. To his duty, to his people, but most importantly to his Father. Enough loyalty that he had willing Fell to make sure Heaven remained safe.

By becoming a spy in the enemy camp.

Who had ever heard of such an absurd thing? An Angel who fell from Heaven to protect it.

He and all who followed him allowed their wings to be stained black, to be reviled and hate by their brothers and sisters by very people he was trying to protect, and yet he did it all with a smile.

Even after he saw his father, his reason for living, fall and die before him he did not stop. He still fought on, loyal though the one he was loyal to was already gone.

For a moment his back was imposed with that of an archer in red. Even when it betrayed them they still followed their Ideal to the bitter end. It looked like even if I did nothing, he had no intention of breaking Asia' promise. Just like him, Kokabiel will face his end with a smile.

* * *

><p>Above me the full-moon hung bare in the cloudless night sky. What little stars that could be seen were faded little specks, their brightness dulled and diluted by the city lights. Propping myself up with my arms behind me I gazed onto the moon from the rooftop of my house as I waited for everything to begin.<p>

Moon watching. Kiritsugu used to do it all the time though I never did understand the appeal of it back then, I still don't to be honest. Still, it's not bad to do it from time to time and it's not like I had anything better to do while I waited.

Gasper and Asia were asleep in bed. I didn't want them to get caught up in this mess so I made sure to not let anything slip on what was happening. I wasn't sure I could keep them away if they knew. I also activated the defensive Bounded Field that was placed around the house. It should stop anyone from entering or exiting the building, at least for a time, and hopefully prevent the two of them from sensing any magical discharge from the upcoming fight.

Now all that was left was to wait. That was one of the good things about the way I fought, I never needed time to prepare. I was more or less my own walking armory after all. Unfortunately it often left me with a lot of free time before a battle to think.

The Devils guarding the town aren't aware of the upcoming showdown simply because there was nothing they could do to help. If they got in the middle of a fight between Kokabiel and me they'd get slaughtered at best or get in my way at worst. There was going to be more than enough death tonight, no need to pile up the body count even more.

And as much as I trusted Kokabiel to keep his words, I didn't want to risk driving him into a corner. Seeing a horde of Devils converging onto the city might be enough to send him into a panic where he would either enacts whatever plan he has cooked up early or worse, he decides to go with the original plan of using his elite guards to assassinate the girls.

As much as I hated to admit it, I had no way of stopping him if he decided to do that. Those four guards of his, I couldn't keep track of them even when they were standing in front of me. They may have not been strong, I'm sure even Kiba can fight probably take two of them at the same time and win, but that didn't mean they weren't dangerous. It doesn't matter how skilled you are in battle or how much magic you can bring down at an opponent, a knife slicing your throat as you sleep will kill both the strong and the weak just as easily.

That was one of the things I never truly understood about the Holy Grail War. Assassin Class was perhaps the most dangerous of all the Servant Classes despite its reputation as the weakest. They can remain hidden whenever you're ready for them and attack when you're at your weakest. No matter how diligent a Servant guards his Master, there is no way they can keep their guard up indefinably. I was convinced that the Holy Grail War would have been won long ago if a competent and determined Master had ever summon an Assassin Class servant.

It was good thing that Kokabiel agreed to keep those four out of it. That was actually one of two reasons why I accepted his terms. The second reason was that he had offered me an all or nothing showdown, which was much better than anything I could have hoped for otherwise. In war, or even a skirmish, a true victory is a rare thing. Even if you win a battle or the entire war the losses tended to be catastrophic. There are always comrades to bury, friends that were lost.

But here Kokabiel has offered me a chance to avoid that. A way to win without sacrificing anything or anyone. If it meant that I'd lose everything if I was defeated well, how was that different from how it has always been? That has-

A wave of magic crashed over me, interrupting my thoughts. I looked towards the direction that I sensed the magic originate from, or at least the closest one. There were, as far as I can tell, at least a dozen sources and they were positioned all around me.

Most of them were too far out of my range to accurately sense but the nearest one was just close enough for me to tell it was located at the very edge of the city limits. Even from I stood on top of my roof it was still too far for me to see, and I was just as I was about to reinforce my eyes when whatever spell they were casting activated.

A wall of blue light, seemingly made up of a hexagon patterned slabs, emerged from the edge of the horizon. Not just at the point I was starting at but from all around me. They kept rising up like a curtain being raise all while curving inwards until they converged, forming a dome over the city. For a moment the dome appeared to grow brighter before fading away so it could no longer be seen, though I could still sense it was there.

So it looks like it begins.

While I was no expert, it was painful obvious that the dome was meant to keep anyone entering or leaving the city. I guess Kokabiel didn't want anyone interfering in our fight. And from the familiar sensation I'm getting, it looks like the dome blocked all forms of teleportation magic within the city as well.

"Emiya-sama."

I whirled around at the sound, instinctively summoning Kanshou and Bakuya in my hands as I did so. I barely resisted hurling them at the kneeling figure behind me, and that was only because I realized he was unarmed and recognized him as one of Kokabiel's guards.

What the hell were these guys, freaking ninjas? I knew they were good at sneaking around but did they have to give me a heart-attack every time they showed up?

He was kneeling with one fist one the ground while he had his other arm resting on his upright knee. He hadn't shifted an inch even after I had drawn my weapons, just staring at the ground before him as he spoke.

"Emiya-sama," He repeated. He has a surprisingly soft voice, one that belied his appearance. "Kokabiel-sama sends his regards and wishes to inform you that the he will be waiting for you in Kuoh Academy's courtyard. He also advises you to hurry, it appears that some of the Devils have already arrived earlier than we had anticipated."

I was already moving before he finished speak. Dismissing the blades I turned and leapt of the edge of the roof as far as my reinforced limbs would take me before unfurling my wings and flying as fast as I can towards the School.

Even from as far away as I was I could already flashes of light from the distant hill of the school. The battle had already begun.

* * *

><p>It was a sword that devoured the light of the world. A demonic blade that embodied the end of the day and the beginning of the night. It is here where light comes to die and against a being of light, one both made from it and wields it, there exist no better weapon.<p>

It was also utterly worthless.

A fist tore through the heart of the blade as easily as glass, shattering the sword to pieces. It continued on, ploughing through until it found itself sheathed in the boy's chest. Bones, ribs, sternum were devastated under the force of the blow, sending the boy flying across the clearing.

"What use is a sword that can devour my spears when I don't need them to win?"

It was a punch that can break stone and tear the earth itself. With just a graze it could kill a man, a direct hit will liquefy one. It slammed full force into his side, shockwaves erupted from the impact sending gusts of winds strong enough to topple trees.

It did nothing.

She looked at her fist in confusion from where it sat on his unharmed side before a hand latched onto her shoulder. She looked up to see eyes of startling blue staring down on her before a knee impacted her chin, lifting her clear off her feet and shattering her jaw.

"Your form is magnificent but you did not put your all behind your punch. You have the power within you to harm me and yet you won't use it? What an utter waste."

Lighting fell from the sky like rain, blinding bright, it lit the courtyard like the light of day. It tore the paved ground, scarring it with trenches that spit the courtyards in two and craters meters wide. It never stopped, falling in an unending torrent of power, radiating enough heat to melt steel beams to puddle.

He walked through it as if it was raindrops.

"Disappointing." He raised a hand to block the lighting and it split apart at his mere touch, like water before the cliff, pouring down at either side of him. "To think the daughter of that man is such a pitiful creature. I know your father girl, and compared to him you fall short in every measure."

"THAT MAN IS NOT-" a kick from above knocked the girl from the air before she could finish, sending her crashing into the hard ground. The earth fractured from her landing, spider webs of cracks forming all around her. She did not get up.

Kokabiel hung in the sky his ten wings spread out about him, surround his frame like a crown of shadows. "Why is it always the child that hurts the parent the most?" He question out loud before looking at his remaining opponent.

It was the end given form, destruction granted shape. Congregated into a sphere it was painted with the colorlessness of the void, for neither light nor shadow can survive its touch. It is here where existence dies, where mortal and immortal alike are made equal. It danced off the tips of her finger, bending to her will, while she glazed with eyes filled with utter hatred at him as she prepared to cast it

It never even reached him.

She doubled over as a knee found itself buried into her stomach. Folding in two over his leg, the back of her uniform erupted outwards in a mist of shredded cloth as the force of the blow tore through her.

"While the Power of Destruction is truly frightening," He looked down at the coughing girl as she collapsed to her hands and knees, "if I can kill you nine times over in the time it takes you to cast it then it becomes utterly meaningless."

"You won't get away-" her face was driven deep into the paved ground by the bottom of his foot impacting the back of her head.

"Devil, it is you that won't get away with your crimes any longer. Either by my hand or his, one of us will bring your accursed kind's rule of terror to an end." He did not quite sneer at her as he lifted his foot off of her head. She did not get up.

Behind him, in the heart of the courtyard that held the battle was a circle of shimmering light. Its borders were made from a series of sigils and runes that were carved into the ground. They shone with an inner fire of sky blue, painting the courtyard around it in a warm blue light.

In the center of the circle were four swords, planted point first into the ground in the shape of square, each corner was pointed in the four primary cardinal direction. A network of lines grew out of the point that the blade met the ground, marking the earth with veins that burned from within. They filled the inside of the circles completely, pulsing every few seconds like the slow beat of a heart.

That was Earth-Breaker, a spell that will bring ruin to the City.

Ribbons of water came to life in the air around him by the dozens, rising in number by the second. They slithered and twisted in the air like serpents as their numbers quickly grew before, like the vipers they so resembled, they struck.

An explosion of water filled the air from the impact, misting the area from sight, yet still the attack didn't end. More streams formed and rained down upon were he last stood, in ever growing numbers. And under the cover of the attack, three more appeared.

Legs coated in steel rained down blows from above, a sword flashed by as the air _screeched_ from its passing, water vaporizing by the approach of a shield of burning blue fire; all three strikes fell as one, perfectly coordinated, the timing just right.

All of it meaningless.

Steel legs fragmented then shattered, the blade vaporizing by the might of the answering weapon, the blue flames _burned_ away by heat of the spear of light. In an instant all three thrown back, broken, towards the feet of their master as he emerged into their sight.

Stepping out from cloud of steam, all what remained of the torrents of water after a single swipe of his spear. He strode calmly forward while steam clung onto his body, unwilling to release him for its embrace. It trailed behind him shifting with his every step, like a clock drifting in the wind.

"Your skill in shaping the water is impressive, I must admit. However if all of the strikes lack any real power behind them, then there is no meaning in it."

He paused in his approach as a tongue of shadow slithered on the ground before wrapping around his ankle. He released a sigh as he shook his head before uttering a single word, "Fool."

Screams of agony soon followed, echoing throughout the courtyard. All eyes turned towards the wailing form of Saji as he writhed on the ground, the tongue of shadow dissolving as he did so, the light element that it absorbed burning it away.

"Saji/Gen-chan!" The remaining members of the Student Council yelled out at the fate of their pawn.

"Sacred Gears were crafted for humans, did you think it will work perfectly now that you became a Devil boy?"

"KOKABIEL!" a voice of hatred roared out of the Bishop's throat. Lighting danced along her fingertips as she turned toward her enemy only to find the palm of his hand blocking her sights before it gripped her skull.

"Never look away from an opponent in battle little Devil." With a single push she found her head buried deep into the ground behind her, as unconscious took her moments later.

The second Bishop soon followed the first into unconsciousness. Before she could so much as cast a single spell or utter a word, she was brought down with a single backhand from where she stood protectively over Saji. Her King would have soon shared her fate if not for the halberd that barred his blow.

"Oh?" with a single hand he brought his own spear crashing against it, bring the wielder to her knees, yet the weapon held. "Remarkable, it withstood the full blunt of my spear yet it bears not so much as a mark to show for. I know the name of every weapon that is capable of such an achievement and yet, I have never heard of this one before." His eyes shifted from the halberd to Tsubaki, who was grimacing from the effort to sustain her guard, despite the utter ease he single-handedly held her down. "Tell me little Devil, where did you ever find such a treasure?"

Before Tsubaki had a chance to speak, Kokabiel leapt back as streak of steel shot through the spot where his has head had been just a moment before. It was a long thin bar of metal that had its end sharpened to a point. When it became apparent the attack had missed, it quickly retracted back to where it originated from, within the shadows beneath the archway of the school entrance, dozen of yards away.

Kokabiel looked over his right shoulder, eyeing the direction the attack came from, "This is why combating with humans, despite them being the weakest of all races, has always interested me." Without turning his head away, he lifted the spear with his left hand and blocked the blow that came from the opposite direction he was facing. "You always fight dirty."

He turned to look into the yellow eyes of the blue haired exorcist. Her blade grinding against his spear, sending blinding sparks into the night air. "There is no such thing as fighting dirty Kokabiel," She retorted as she leapt back, "merely victory and defeat. Anything else is just the whining of the losers."

"I agree." He pivoted in place as he dodged an attack to his back from the twin-tailed exorcist, "Yet the question remains my little humans, do you have what it bring about the victory you seek?" He question the two.

The swinging of their blades was their reply, beginning the battle of weapons users. In instant Tsubaki joined in the fight, adding her own blade to the fray.

It was beautiful to behold as sparks of blue and white erupting each time the light of spear clashed against the steal of the blades. Fireworks of the battle burned into the retinas of all watching, flashing and diming with each exchange, as all four combats fought for victory. Yet all who watched knew the fight only lasted as long as it did because he was humoring them.

He held back the power of his strikes and the speed of his swings. Instead he held all three of them down with skills alone. His spear spinning and twirling around, blocking, parrying and redirecting all their attacks. His movements inhumanly smooth, the end of each action leading the beginning of the next, it flowed together with all the grace of flowing water and looked more like an elegant dance than brutal combat. And through it all he only used a single hand to wield his spear.

It was hopeless. The Devil among them continued to fight on for the unattainable victory because to lose would be to forfeit the lives of her friends, even though she held no hope in her heart she fought on. The humans on the other hand fought on because they cared not if victory was possible or not. It was not victory that they fought for after all but something else entirely.

All they wanted to do was to distract him.

It appeared in a flash. With speed too inhuman for the natural or even supernatural to perceive let alone match. It covered the length of the courtyard in a time too short to be called an instant, charging towards his unguarded side.

His spear was in his opposing hand, locked into place by the blades of the other three as they fought for dominance. Too far to bring to it around in time even if he had been free to do so, the unwavering strike flew to his side unobstructed.

It impact with a flash of light so bright in illuminated the courtyard with all the brightness of day.

"It's been a long time, Griselda." Kokabiel greeted his attacker warmly, a joyful smile gracing his lips, "I see you've gotten old. A pity, you were faster in your youth."

"We're can't all be unaging like you Kokabiel." Her Excalibur Rapidly pushed against his spear. Her surprise strike was blocked by the second spear he summoned in his opposing hand. Despite her failure her voice was equally warm as she smiled at her old friend, "Still, I can't say I would have it any other way. It would make this old woman cry to see that pretty face of your fade with age."

Her smile was replaced with a dejected frown. "It's a shame that I can't say the same for your sanity. I never thought you of all people will do anything like this. What would the others think if they ever saw you like this?"

"I believe Dianna wouldn't care as she continued her efforts to try and get into my pants. Ralph would be too busy trying to write line of poetry to adequately express his lamentation of facing a friend in battle, while Luka would tell me to stop being a dumbass wasting his time fighting when we can be spending it drinking."

"Yeah that's sound like them." Despite herself she allowed a smirk show for a moment before it disappeared. "Please stop this Kokabiel. You can't win anymore. Just give up." Her words were not empty bravado either.

He was trapped in the middle of two opposing forces. With one hand he held back one of the strongest exorcist alive who was wielding what was perhaps the fastest sword on the planet. With his other hand he held back two of her students, both of whom wielded Holy Swords themselves, and a Devil with the strength and speed granted to her by the Queen Piece.

And behind them all stood her King. Above her she gathered a giant globe of water that was slowly shrinking as it was pressurized into a smaller ball, ready to release all its gathered power in one single attack.

Even for one such as he, victory without serious injury would have been difficult.

Yet none looking upon him would have believe he was in any danger as he gave his friend an amused smile.

"Remember how we used to spar all the time?" He asked, "How you and the others kept pestering me to stop holding back in our fights until I finally agreed to always go all out?"

"Yes." The instant after the words left her mouth, dread appeared on her face as she began to understand what he implied.

He nodded at her comprehension, "I lied."

They had no warning before they felt it come crashing upon them, almost bringing them all to their knees.

Power, unadulterated power came pouring out of him in a level incomparable to before. From his back a new pair of wings erupted to join the ten others as he finally revealed his true strength. The light of his spear grew in intensity, to the point that none can looked directly upon them, as the blade pushing against them glowed a cherry red.

They were Swords of legend, whose name is known by the people of all the lands. Wars were fought over them and men willing died for them. Heroes longed to prove worthy to hold them while bards sang of their majesty for a thousand years.

Yet before the might of his spears they were nothing. In an instant the metal of the blades melted then vapored, destroying them beyond the repair of mortal men. The swords did not go quietly as they died, as the remnants of the power they held exploded outwards no longer contained by their metal shells.

All four were sent flying and even Sona, the farthest away, was completely knocked off her feet by the wave of holy energy that crashed through the courtyard, causing her to loss control of her spell. The watered she gathered fell to the ground, spilling over its hard surface uselessly.

He twirled both spears in his hands once before he began to make his way to Griselda, his twelve wings draped over his shoulder like a cloak, as she weakly tried to push herself off the floor but only succeeded in lifting her upper body.

"It has been a thousand years since I witnessed my Lord's demise." He spoke as he approached her, "Can you understand how it felt to witness my Lord and Master, my beloved Father struck down before me during the Great War? Do you understand how I felt as I stood by and watch, too weak to do anything to help, as I watched God die?"

Exclamation of shock echoed throughout the courtyards as the few conscious among the fallen combatants comprehended his words. He paid them no mind, his eyes upon his fallen friend as he approached her before stopping only a few yards away.

"I failed him." His eyes shining with unshed tears as he looked upon her, "I had one true duty, one single purpose and I failed. And the world has paid the price for my failure ever since. Mankind has suffered under the rule of the Devils and Fallen alike for a millennia because they no longer had God to protect them, all because of my weakness."

"Kokabiel," Sadness and understanding coloring Griselda's voice as she looked up to him, "It wasn't your fault-"

"IT IS!" He bellowed out, dismissing his spears as he threw out is arms, "I AM KOKABIEL THE LORD OF THE STARS AND ONE OF THE GUARDIAN OF THE HEAVENS THEMSELVES! I HAVE THE POWER TO OBLITERATE NATIONS AND RAZE CONTINENTS WHOLE AND YET…and yet I lacked the power to do anything at the time it mattered the most. Truly, what use am I when I can't even prevent my own Father's death?" He stared at his empty hand, as if they held the answer before he clenched them into fists.

"But rejoice." His voice has regained his previous strength. "For a thousand years I had planned, for a millennium I had trained and prepared for this day. And at long last my efforts have begun to bear fruit, as at long last the time to enact Father's final wish has finally come. I shall free man from the shackles that bind them and create a world where they shall roam unrestricted, free to forge their own future."

"And you're going to do that by obliterating the entire the city?"

In reply he strode up to the Earth-Breaker, then with a single sweep of his leg he shattered the four remaining Holy Swords from where they were planted in the middle of the Magic Circle. The runes and sigils flickered for a moment before extinguishing completely, bringing the spell to an end.

"The Earth-Breaker was nothing but bait to draw the Maous' sibling out into the open. Even the scraps of metal that you have hunted me for is nothing but bait to me." He turned around and approached the two girls in question. Rias had apparent regained consciousness but was barely able to stand as she had her arm draped over Sona's shoulder for support, who didn't look to be in any better state due to the backlash of her own magic. Still, even as the drying blood dripped down her face she continued to glare with utter venom at the approaching Fallen, "And with their death I shall ignite the flames of war and in its fire I bring the demise of the Three Factions."

"By the four saints that live within your steel, heed my call and come to my aid." A voice called out, drawing the attention of Fallen and Devils alike.

Though her legs trembled and shook, threating to buckle at a moment's notice, she stood tall and defiant as she glared out at her enemy. Her eyes never once leaving Kokabiel's as she held a hand straight out to her side, palm wide open ready to grip a weapon that wasn't there, she yelled out "I beg of thee, grant me your might to defeat the foe that stand before me."

The space before her hand _distorted, _reality bending causing the airrippling like water, illuminating one side of her face as the distorted space began to emit a dim golden light. Without any hesitation she plunged her arm into the distorted space, shoulder deep, before pausing and reversing her course while yanking something out.

And what she pulled out…

…was Hope.

It shone with a golden light, its divinity unmistakable. The entire battlefield was flooded with its presence, outshining even Kokabiel's oppressive strength, as unending waves of its blessed power washed upon them all. It was a weapon of divine origins, sent down from the Heaven's to aid mankind in their darkest hour.

_Durandal_.

A Gift from the hands of God himself given to Roland, his most worthy of children. With it an army of a hundred thousand was brought to halt by a single man and in the hands of one worth to wield it, there lies nothing in existence that it cannot cut.

It laid shackled and bound by chains of purest iron, but what chains can hold back such a sword? What works crafted by mortal hands can hope to bind such an existence. A single twist of its blade shall rip it from its fragile confinements and it will be free once again.

She reach out and grabbed its hilt, ready to break though it's binding but then-

-Hope was extinguished.

A hand harder than any iron clamped onto her wrist like a vise, halting all movement. Xenovia found herself staring into the saddened eyes of an Angel.

"You had such a weapon all this time and you only draw it out after you had been defeated?" Sounding so much like a disappointed father that, despite herself, she felt herself flooded with shame. He shook his head sadly, "It seems you despite all your skills you still have much to learn child."

He then snapped her arm like a twig.

A wail of absolute agony tore out of Xenovia's throat as she collapsed to the floor, cradling her broken arm to her chest. Kokabiel turned away, not giving her so much as a second glance as he made his way to back to his two targets.

"Do you truly think that this will start a second war, just because a one Fallen decided to act on his own?" Sona yelled out him as he approached them. Even to her own ears her words held no certainty, no convention, just fragile desperation. "The Maous won't consider this an act of war from the Fallen Faction but the actions of a single madman. The rest of the Fallen leaders will denounce you and what you have done. You will accomplish nothing tonight but the start of a manhunt, your own. There is no way you can start a restart the war alone Kokabiel."

"Alone?" Kokabiel asked with genuine amusement a shadow fell upon them, blocking out the light from the moon for a moment before it was gone, "Foolish little Devil, I have never been alone"

Another shadow drifted over them, then another and another, drawing the eyes of all on the courtyard to the sky.

"My god." Griselda muttered, sounding like her true age for once. She shut her eyes in resignation, "We're doomed."

They circled over the defeated party like vultures, their wings blocking half the moonlight from reaching them, before they descended upon the school. Black feather drifted to ground by the thousands, falling down upon them and coating the earth like black snow.

"Even in my Fall they have followed me, ever faithful." His feet was pulled backwards off the ground. "These are my loyal comrades, my truest of friends." His twelve wings continued to gently lift him into the air until he hung in the middle of the descending flock. "Thirty-five thousand we numbered once before the war. Though only twelve hundreds of us remained afterwards, not one had ever abandoned me, the fought by side to the last." He smiled down upon them. "So you see little Devil, I have never once been alone."

They continued to drop from the skies above, descending onto the roof and grounds of school in ever growing number, until there was simply no room remaining. And still there was more, drifting in the air above them blotting out the very skies with their numbers.

He held out his arm wide open as he hung above them, backdropped by the sky filled with a legion of Fallen. "And tonight, after a thousand years, we shall fulfil our Father's greatest wish. After tonight, the fate of all that lies under the Heaven, will be determined by MAN." He yelled out as he raised a single arm above him.

The darkened skies above them were illuminated by the birth of a hundred and more spears of light. Though only a fraction of the Fallen had called forth their spears it was more than enough, as what had been called filled the entire night sky like stars.

"And all of it will start with your deaths," He looked down upon the two girls, and for moment his eyes was filled with genuine sadness before they hardened with resolve. "Goodbye Devils." Then he brought his arm down.

Hundreds of spears of light fell upon them from the skies, streaking down like a shower of burning meteors, more than enough to kill them a dozen times over. All of them aimed for the two girls.

The two could do nothing but watch as their death came to them. Too weakened and injured to run, they knew that even if they could that there was no shelter than could shield them from such a barrage of attacks. So with no hope in their hearts, they shut at their approaching end even as their ears was filled by the screams of their friends begging them to run.

The Spears detonated upon impact, illumination the night with the light of a morning's dawn.

These were spears crafted from light itself. Its heat was such that it was capable of burning thought the flesh of Devils and humans alike with the utmost ease. One alone had enough power to pierce a wall. A hundred was enough to bring down a Fortress.

Yet all of them combined lacked the power to reach their mark.

When she had finally realize that she was still alive Sona, body still shivering from instinctive fear, slowly cracked open her eyes only to gape in surprise as she found herself staring a flower.

Five petals, each as large as grown man, hung in the air before her and Rias, standing between them and the fallen. It was iridescence and translucent, and looked as fragile as glass, yet it stood before the might of a Fallen army and did not fall.

Everyone looked upon the shield in confusion, unable to comprehend what happened. Even Kokabiel looked surprised before realization dawned and a rueful smile graced his face.

"Why," he question with a voice filled with amusement, "do heroes keep insisting on arriving at the last possible moment?"

His answer came in the form of a dark streak that shot down from the sky, tearing thought the mass of Fallen the filled the sky and crashing among the ones on the ground. The paved floor collapsed under the force of its impact, sending up a thick cloud of dust in the air.

The Fallens closest to it leapt away in surprise as it crashed down among them, before they regained their composure and surround it. The darkness of the night was pushed back by the light of the dozen spears that they held, all pointed towards the silhouette of the figure that was just beginning to appear as the dust settled.

"Who in heaven's name are you?" A four-winged Fallen called out as he took a step forward, spear pointed threating at the emerging the figure.

"Who am…I?" A familiar voice drifted out from the dust cloud as the figure within stood up, revealing his red colored hair to the world.

"…_I…_"

Golden-brown eyes peered around the courtyard, ignoring the dozens of spears point at him. Those eyes hardened as they caught sight of his injured and fallen friends.

"…_**I**_…"

He repeated again as he glared out at the smiling Kokabiel before he chanted the words that would signal the death of a thousand this night.

"**I AM THE BONE OF MY SWORD"**

* * *

><p><strong>*Story End*<strong>

Gather around child, gather around one and all. Come, do you see this is? Do you know what it is? This my friends is… a curb stomp. And the official theme song of any and all curb stomp in this fic is 'Emiya', any version.

Now good news and bad. Good news is that the next release will be a double-chapter. It will be the fight itself and the aftermath, and I'll release them both together because they tie in so well. Bad news is that it will take me a bit longer time to release it for two reason. One it's a double-chapter. Two I'm on a vacation in London right now with my family. Don't worry I have my laptop with me so I still plan to write daily but not at the pace I was doing so right now.

**Now the question of the week:** How was the fight scene (my first!) and the discussion between Shirou, Asia and Kokabiel?

PS. A big thanks to 'Bigreader in The Omniverse' for all the help his given me. It's thanks to him that I was able to get this chapter out now and not a month later.


	10. Chapter 10: All Know It's Name

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or High school DxD, just the original concepts and plot in this story. This Crossover is a complete AU**

**Author's Notes:**

Ok, I'll keep this one short because I'm sure you're looking forward to the fight. First, let me thank 'Bigreader in The Omniverse' for all of his help, he's the reason why you're getting the chapter today and not tomorrow. Second…You know what, the rest can wait for the author's notes attached to the bottom. I just hope you enjoy the chapter.

***Story Start***

* * *

><p>All Know Its Name<p>

It was all I could do to bite back the scream that threatened to tear its way out of my throat, whether it was from pain or frustration I did not. _I lost_. As I laid on the ground, broken and defeated, I felt nothing but shame fill me at the thought. What made it worse was I had no one to blame but myself.

He was right. I did not know why I kept Durandal hidden for so long, but he was right. If I had just used it from the start I may have stood a chance of winning, no matter how small. At the very least I would have fought him with my full power, but instead I let the chance slip by without even getting the chance to use my sword.

It made so much sense when I had first thought of it. I felt so smart, so cunning, to have a hidden ace. One that would catch the enemy off-guard and allow me to turn the battle in our favor. But he was right. What's the point of having a trump card if I lost before I could even use it?

And now as I cradled my broken arm to my chest I laid defeated, _helpless,_ on the ground. All I could do was watch the red-haired Devil, the same one who almost shatter my Excalibur in his bare hands, calmly stand as he was surrounded from all sides by the spears of the Fallen.

I did not understand the words he spoke or why he called himself a bone of his sword, but the Fallen around him decided to take it as a provocation and responded with deadly force.

It was over in an instant.

The dozen Fallen thrust their spear as one at his body. Surrounded, their attack came from every angle, leaving him no room to maneuver or escape. Even to my eyes there was no hesitation or imperfection in their form. Unlike the comrades I had trained with and fought with in the Church, there movements were flawless, their coordination was perfect, inhumanely so.

It was then, as I watched the unnatural gracefulness of even the weakest among them, that I truly understood what we faced were not human. These were Angels that have lived for millennia, who have fought and survived a Great War and have been training for the next one ever since. Warriors and veterans, every last one of them, and it showed as their thrusts flew unerringly towards the unmoving the red-head.

It was over in an instant.

Before I could so much as blink a bloody mist erupted into the air, painting the night crimson as the bifurcated corpses of the twelve Fallen fell to the ground around the Devil.

I didn't even see him move.

_Fast! _I could feel my eyes involuntary widening at the sight of the Devil standing in the middle of the corpses of Fallen, having not moved a step form his original fast, not even Griselda could move that fast! But that's-

"_**With a Body of Iron, And a Heart of Fire"**_

I felt the words reverberate through me like the ringing of a bell. I did not know why but those words, they felt heavy, magical. So much so, that I felt the thoughts in my head derailed and grind to a halt as they washed over me.

"That sword!" Irina yelled from where she fell just a few yards away from me.

It was then that I noticed the sword he held in his hand and I felt my eyes widen again, "But that's-"

"-Excalibur Rapidly!" Griselda finished for me, sounding equally unnerved as we did by the sight of the blade in his hand. I glanced at this down at the hilt she refused to relinquish from her grip, where only a fragment of the ruined blade remained attached, before I looked back up only to be stunned again.

That was not Excalibur.

I did not know what happened but the sword he held in his hand was no longer Excalibur Rapidly. Though the wooden hilt remained unchanged, the blade had not. It had elongated and broadened, turning the once elegant rapier into an unwieldy claymore. Its once smooth unblemished surface was fragmented, cratered by hundreds of splinters. It had become fragile, it had become brittle.

It had become broken.

Before any of the surrounding Fallen were even able to respond or comprehend what had just happened, not that I was in any position to fault them for their confusion, he flicked the Not-Excalibur into the air over his head. The blade shot in the sky faster than any arrow, flying unerringly towards the group of Fallen that hovered above him.

The Fallen were caught completely off-guard by his actions. Unprepared, they could do nothing to defend themselves in time, not when they were that close to him, not with the speed his sword was traveling.

Even as some of them called upon their spears or desperately tried to dodge, I knew it was already too late for them, there was nothing they could do to save themselves. The attack was too unexpected, the blade traveling too fast, for the Fallen to do anything but watch as the sword flew right towards them and…

"…he missed?" Irina gaped in disbelief as we watch the blade tear past them, flying between their numbers as it failed to hit any of them.

I could not blame her, I was pretty much in the same state as she was. I watched as the sword, our hope, soared past the first line of Fallen towards the second group that hovered behind them, higher up in the sky.

It looked like the sword was in the direct path of one of Fallen in the middle of the group but it was already too late. The surprise had been lost. While the first group had been caught unprepared and by surprise, this group was anything but. Being farther off they had far more time to react and by the time the sword reached them they were ready for it.

It shot towards a Fallen who flew near the heart of the formation. He already had a spear in hand and despite the speed of the sword as it approached him, he swung his spear at it with a perfect timing, with an almost contemptuous ease, to knock it out of the sky.

He was the first to die.

I barely turned away in time as a miniature sun was born in the skies above Kaou Academy. It was nothing but pure luck and reflex that made me look away in time to save my sight as the sword detonated, releasing a surge of fire so bright that I was certain it could be seen clear across the city.

A wave of heat, as real and dense as any tide of water, washed over me as the false sun bathed the school grounds in crimson light. It burned for but an instant before it extinguished, burning itself out, but by then the damage had already been done.

A crash, just a few yards before me, made look up. It was a Fallen, dead. No, it would be more accurate to say to it was half a fallen, as the entire left half of his frame was missing. Gone, his body ending in a line of crisp blackened flesh that ran down the middle of his body. His face, what remained of it, was frozen in an expression of pure surprise. I looked up to discover the fate of the rest of the Fallen, and most didn't fare much better.

The dozens of Fallen near the heart of the explosion are gone, completely incinerated, leaving nothing behind but clouds of ash drifting in the air. While those that were fortunate enough to not have been caught up in the blast were knocked clear across the sky from the shockwave of the explosion. Many had successfully regained their balances in the last moment while more than a few had found themselves crashing into the ground both within and outside of the school grounds.

Even the Fallen that were on the ground, thus completely safe from the blast, had instinctively leapt backwards and away from the fireball, leaving a clear open space beneath the heart of the explosion, and consequently around the red-haired Devil who now stood alone in the center of the space.

Billowing clouds of soot and ash, born from the explosion fell down from the sky, blanketing the grounds of the courtyard beneath it from sight, hiding both the ground and the Devil with it.

However, just before the clouds of soot blocked his form from our eyes, I caught sight of him. At how his eyes of solid gold shone in darkness, how they locked onto the line of Fallen before him and how the way he looked at them reminded me so much of a cat eyeing a mouse, of a hunter watching its prey.

In the very last second I saw his lips curved, as they formed out the words that he intoned.

"_**Utterly alone I forge my Steel"**_

Then he was gone, hidden behind the grey clouds, leaving behind the disordered mass of Fallen.

When I looked around at the surrounding Fallen, who fortunately were completely disregarding both me and the others, all I could see was the looks of complete shock and confusion on their faces and hear the sound of raising panic taking hold of the Fallen Host.

And how could blame them for their confusion? I barely understood what was going on anymore.

One moment they had already won, their enemy lay defeated beneath their feet and within only a single swing of achieving their goal of starting a war. Then the next moment, their barrage of spears were halted by a flower –_I mean really! A flower! It was even PINK for Heaven's sake_-, their comrades killed by the dozens, and what was practically a sun appearing in their midst. Even ones as ancient as them would not be able to maintain their composure after such events.

Disorientated, shocked by the both the suddenness and the ferociousness of the attack, the ranks of Fallen had dissolved into a confused mess. The order and composure they held was lost as chaos took hold, turning what was once a disciplined force into a disorganized mass of bodies.

However that only lasted for but a moment. In the next second I understood why Kokabiel's forces were among the most respected in the Three Factions. Say what you will of these accursed Fallen, and I tend to say more than a few unflattering things about them in my prayers, they were known as veterans for a reason.

Over the steadily rising murmurs of the panicked Host, shouts of commands and instructions were barked out as the senior and ranking Fallen Angel swiftly and ruthlessly took command of their men by using a combination of orders, threats and insults to get them to obey.

To my eyes, it occurred remarkably fast. The panic that was quickly building within the ranks of the Fallen was brutally and swiftly stomped out by pure discipline as their training kicked in and the Fallen snapped to attention like the soldiers they were.

Within a few beats of my heart, order had already been restored within the ranks of the Fallen and discipline had been reestablished. And it did not stop there. The instant it was clear that their men had calmed, several senior among them took command over several squads and had them surround the still lingering cloud that hide the Devil.

Once again the night was pushed back as spears of lights flickered to life in their hands, forming rings within rings of light as they circled the fading cloud. As ranks behind ranks of Fallen aimed their weapons to where their enemy lay hidden, all ready to attack the moment they caught sight of the Devil.

The flapping of wings caught my attention, drawing my eyes upwards to their source. There in the skies above the quickly settling cloud, hovered scores of Fallen blocking any means of escape from the air.

They too had their spears out, ready to take advantage of any opportunity to take down the Devil or block any attack that may come their way. I noticed how they hovered unusually close to ground and understood that this was how they intended to prevent the red-head from firing another bomb. It was clear that if he tried to fire another with the Fallen this close that he, along with the other Devils on the ground, would get caught up in the blast.

It was as I looked at this unusual formation that I remembered one of my lessons with Griselda on the history of the Great War. At the time I had just turned thirteen and was still in the middle of my training as an exorcist, having been handpicked by Griselda herself to become her student along with Irina and Dulio.

I remembered wondering why Heaven had sent the low ranking Angels into battle during the Great War. What difference could they make in a war when compared the strength of an Archangel or Seraphs? What could they possibly do against the Maous or Ultimate-Class Devils? Would it not have been better to have remained in Heaven where they would be safe and out of the way?

I still remember her answer vividly.

"Xenovia," She told me, "while it is true that battlefields of the Great War were filled by existences that could only be described as monsters, even by the standards of the Supernatural. That those monsters roamed between the battlefields of the war in their hundreds, and even the least among their numbers had the power to slaughter the average Angel and Devil one after the other by the thousands. That did not mean that they could not be fought back and certainty it do not mean that they could not be killed.

"Look at us, if the strong would always prevail over the weak than we humans will never stand a chance against even the weakest among the Devils or Fallen, Holy Swords or not. Yet that is obviously not the case. We who are physically weaker than any of the other races in the Three Factions are capable of fighting back. And how do we do it?

"By playing our strength against their weakness. By choosing when, where and how we fight. By using strategy, tactics and deceptions we, the weak, can fight back and overcome the strong. Remember Xenovia that in this world there are times that the strong fall before the weak. That who is truly 'weak' or 'strong' is not determined by the power they wield but by who remains standing victorious at the battle's end.

"Now tell me, what is the biggest advantage that a lesser Angel have over a High-Class or even an Ultimate-Class Devil?"

I though on it a while before I came up with the obvious answer, "Numbers. There are many more lesser Angels than higher ones."

She nodded in approval, "That's right. They had their strength in numbers, and they ruthlessly exploited that single advantage time and time again. They would gather by the hundreds or thousands and rain down their spears of light onto their enemies form afar when they could.

"And when they were unable to fight at a safe distance, when the enemy would come charging in, they would stand shoulder to shoulder and greet their enemy with a wall of spears. Kokabiel's Forces were famed for doing this."

"The Fallen?" I asked surprised.

"He was not always a Fallen. Once he was an Angel that stood on the side of Heaven and was among the greatest Generals in God's army. Back then his troops were held in high esteemed by all of Heaven despite being made up entirely of lower and mid-ranked Angels. And they earned that esteem by having the highest kill count of High-Class and Ultimate-Class Devils without the aid of any High-Ranked Angels. They achieved this with nothing but simple tactics and teamwork.

"When their enemies would not allow them to fight them from afar, when time came for them to fight their enemies head on, they did so behind a wall of spears forged through the strength of their numbers tempered by discipline and fortitude.

"They would stand shoulder to shoulder, organization their numbers into rectangular rows. They would then conjure spears of light that was far longer than the ones they would usually employ, and while it made them far more cumbersome in close combat it give them a far greater reach in return.

"They also made the spears far denser, infusing it with much more of their magic than usual. This made them heavier which prevented them from being thrown but gave them the ability to defect or disperse any spells they touched. And while a single one could not stop a high-ranked spell, a half dozen working together might, especially against Devil Magic.

"The front ranks of the Angels would stand shoulder to shoulder and face their enemy as one, using their spears to attack or hold back the attack enemy while the rank behind them will thrust their spears in between the front rank, filling any gaps that existed and combined with the spears in the front, will present a wall of deadly spear points to the attacking Devil.

"Those further behind them, when not ready to replace and help any injured comrades, would fire their spears overhead, either to bring down enemies that try to fly above them or rain their spears on the heads of the enemies before them."

"But," I interrupted her, "isn't that basically a Phalanx?"

"That is exactly what it is." Griselda confirmed, "What was most unusual of Kokabiel's troop's method of fighting was that it was clearly inspired by human warfare. Kokabiel has been famed for his fascination with mankind, and many speculated that he mimicked most of his military strategies from the Ancient Greeks and Romans."

And that was exactly what I was seeing before me. A Phalanx, a wall crafted from spears. Devils, both mighty and weak, found their death on the end of those spear tips.

They had slaughtered their enemies by the thousand with this method and I was about to witness as they once again brought it to bear against the new enemy that stands before them and just as the countless before him had done, they shall make him fall as well.

Even to me, someone whose only experience in large-scale warfare was within the walls of a classroom, their strategy was obvious.

Last time they were caught off-guard and unprepared, and they had paid dearly for it. It was clear that they were not about to make the same mistake again. Just like me they had seen both the Devil's speed and his wide range destructive spells and recognized them as the threats they were, and have quickly taken steps to neutralize both his advantages.

This time they will greet Serafall's Queen with a wall of spears, encircle and entrap him in its unforgiving embrace. They will leave no gap in their ranks, no weakness that can be exploited and allow no attack to slip by their gruad. He will be confined on the other side of their spears, where his speed will do him no good. And his explosive swords will not work here, not with the enemies this close to him. The cloud he had hidden himself in was barely a dozen meters wide, and even if you included the two yard gaps between its edge and the Fallen front rank, any attack strong enough to harm them will harm him in turn.

Next they will slowly close in on him step by step, shrinking what little space he had until he finds himself surrounded in all direction by their spears, where a single step down any path would cause him to fall upon their lethal tips, all the while the Fallen in the air will fire down carefully aimed attacks whenever he let his guard down or tried to attack.

It is then that he will be forced to either fly into the air where he will be venerable from attacks from all directions or remain on the ground and be skewered upon their spears. Either choice will lead to his doom.

And now the ancient Host of Fallen stood, patiently waiting for the already dissipating cloud to completely fade and reveal him to their sights so that they may come bearing down on him and drag him to his end.

If they attacked too soon they would have risked harming their own men or kick up more dust for the Devil to hide in. He had already proven himself capable of shielding himself and others from barrages of spears but it was unlikely he was capable of defending himself while simultaneously attacking.

So they waited for the perfect time to act, which was quickly approaching. Already the cloud was fading and in a few more seconds it will be gone completely, leaving the Devil nowhere to hide.

It should have been a flawless strategy, simple in both plan and execution. There was no reason to believe it will not work like it had a thousand times in the past but for some reason I could bring myself to believe that.

I did not know why but something within me, a deep subconscious instinct, told me that the Fallen had already committed a serious blunder. A fatal error that will cost them both their victory and their lives. They had decided to stand and fight but that was a mistake...

They should have ran.

I almost jumped in startlement as a scream of surprise rung throughout the courtyard. It was coming from my left and lasted only for a couple of seconds before it was abruptly cut off, leaving a foreboding silence its wake.

I turned to look but all I couldn't see anything but the backs of the Fallen that blocked my view. I didn't know why but I knew that this fight was something I need to see. So despite the my state I forced myself to stand, clenching my teeth tighter to silence the screams of pain that threated to spill as I felt the bones in my arm grind together.

Another scream rang out as was trying to stand, coming from the complete opposite direction of the first, which was soon followed by a third and a fourth. I had just barely gotten back on my feet in time to see what caused the fourth scream.

The yell came from a Fallen standing in the front rank. I had just caught sight of him before he disappeared, as something had pulled him off his feet and dragged him into the cloud. A heartbeat later his screams were abruptly silenced.

"Beneath us!" Another one of the Fallen yelled out as he leapt back, "To your feet, look to your feet!" Causing every eye to glance down.

It was then that I saw it.

They slithered around the ground like snakes, dozens upon dozens of them, crawling over and under one another in their haste to reach their prey. The light of the spears glinted off the smooth metallic surface of their thin bodies as they silently slid across the ground, quickly closing the gap between them and the feet of the Fallen.

Then without warning, like the vipers they resembled, they struck. When the vines of living steel touched the feet of the Fallen they leapt forward, blindingly fast, wrapping around the legs of their prey before pulling them down, off their feet, and dragging them screaming in the cloud that they emerged from.

The fallen line wavered and collapsed in an instant as they reacted instantly to sight. Some leaping back to escape the reach of the steel serpents causing them to slam in the Fallen behind them. Other took off to the air in their haste to escape, as the metallic tentacles searched blindly for their missing prey.

Some were too slow to escape, the tip of their toes just brushing their steel skin as they leapt in the air. That however, was enough for them to know that they were there. Like vipers striking at a bird, the leapt clear off the ground, wrapping themselves around the ankles of the Fallen before they could escape and pulling them back down to the ground and dragging them to their death like the others.

The braver or more aggressive among them attacked instead. They thrust their spears at the slithering steel serpents at their feet. Their spears of light would skid off their hardened skin and dig into the earth around them, scarring the ground with craters. And while their spears did not seem to damage the living steel much, it was enough to drive them back to where they came from.

However in their determination to harm the enemy at their feet they forgot about the enemy that stood before them.

Long thin blades of steel tore out of the cloud. They whipped forward tearing into the bodies of the distracted Fallen, piercing clear through the soft flesh of their chests and emerging out of their backs. A heartbeat later thy withdrew back into the cloud, leaving behind their stunned victims. Most of the Fallen just looked down at the holes in their chest in confusion before collapsing like puppets deprived of their strings.

A small handful of the Fallen had simply lost their nerve and flung their spears into the heart of the cloud, forgetting about their comrades on the other side. Half the spears tore through the cloud, hitting nothing, before emerging on the other sides and slamming into their surprised comrades on the other side. While some were able to block the spears in time many had not, too distracted by the writhing tentacles at their feet.

The other half of the spears did seem to hit something, however it did little better than the ones that tore clear through. The spears were somehow deflected, sending them clear up, where they were either blocked by the Fallen hovering above or went flying by them into the night sky. What I could not understand was how spears that were deflected upwards emerged from completely different location in the cloud, as if there was more than a single person in there.

The yells and clamour of the dying and alarmed Fallen army ripped me away from my thoughts, causing me to look around. As my eye scanned the battlefield and the remains of what was an organized army, a startling realization hit me.

This was the Phalanx of Kokabiel's army, a formation that has carved its way into legend on the blood and bodies of the countless of Devils and Demons that tried to break through its spear wall only to be broken instead. A tactic that till this day is taught to the exorcists of the Church, over a thousand years since it has at last been seen used in combat, due to its might in crushing Heaven's enemies.

And now that very Phalanx is falling apart at the seams, having been carved apart before my eyes by the power of a single Devil.

It took him ten seconds.

In ten measly seconds a legend was destroyed, crushed and ruined, and yet if felt like it had been hours. By the time it took me to take it all in, the cloud that hid the devil finally cleared enough to see through, revealing to all what was happening inside.

I couldn't have hidden my surprise even if I tried, "Irina! Isn't that-"

"That's my sword!" Irina yelled out, pushing herself upwards with one arm. Her eyes never leaving the swords the "That's Excalibur Mimic! Two of them!"

"No, there are more!" Griselda no longer looking beaten but as focused and serious as I had ever seen her. Her face was set in a mask of concentration as she eyed the Devil. "Six, no I count at least eight of them."

It was like a net of living steel. The wire thin metal threads that formed it whipped through the air like the tentacles of some monstrous sea beast. Constantly shifting and moving the threads came together into a shape of a sphere, no it was a hollow dome.

Hundreds of slithering metal branches covered the floor, hiding it from view. The way the countless featureless metallic serpents slithered on the ground, clawing over and under one another reminded me of a snake pit, and I involuntary took a wobbly step back at the sight of them.

I could see the corpses of the Fallen that were dragged in. Their limbs would occasionally stick out from beneath the slithering mass as gaps in their numbers revealed them to the open air before they were gone, sinking back into the writhing mass as if it were a bottomless sea.

And there, standing in the middle of the sea of living metal, was the Devil.

He had his eyes close, head slightly-tilted back as his red hair fluttered in the wind created by the whipping steel. Thick cords of steal climbed up his legs and ending at both of his hands where he held the shrunken hilts of Excalibur Mimic between each of his fingers.

Slowly he opened his eyes, revealing the spheres of gold to the world once again, as he released the words;

"_**Knowing only Victory**_

_**Tainted with bitter Defeat"**_

Just as the words cleared his lips streaks of white shot down from the sky as several of the Fallen fired their spears at the now unhidden Devil.

He didn't bother to even look towards them. He didn't need to.

Just as the spear tip of the touched one of the fragile strings that made up the sphere that surrounded him, a thick tentacle shot out of the ground and whipped across the spear. It bashed it aside, deflecting it and sending the spear flying off to the side.

The scene was repeated a dozen time over in the next handful of seconds as again and again the spears were knocked to the side with an almost unbelievable ease. The attacks only stopping when the whipping steel began to accurately send the spears flying into the remaining Fallen that surrounded it.

It was when the attacks tapered down as the fallen tried to work out what to do that he struck back. Without warning, the entire mass of withering steel shot straight up in the air like geyser. It enveloped the Fallen that hovered too close, entangling then drowning them in its writhing metallic mass.

The mass of steel kept rising higher and higher in the air, forcing me to tilt my head back to keep it in my sight. It also kept getting bigger as more of the serpents from the sea of metal joined and fusion with the rising column. The sea of steel near my feet was drawn back like a tide, revealing the paved ground that was hidden beneath it.

When the upsurge of steel had finally reached its peak, dozens of yards upwards, the mass seemed to pause of a single moment, as if it were a giant beast pondering its next action, before it reversed its course and came surging back down into the earth.

Like the sprouting water from a fountain, it split as it reached its peak and fell down around. The once united mass of metal divided into hundreds of branches, thick pillars of steel, as it came shooting back down into the ground.

The Fallen tried to move, tried to run but they had not where to go. The skies above them was filled with living steel, and while those that tried to escape on the ground kept running and tripping over the mass of their fellow Fallen around them, having gathered up too close together.

Pillars of steel slammed into the ground by the hundreds, tearing through the bodies of the Fallen with ease. They filled every conceivable stretch of space, leaving no room to sand without touching one.

Dozens if not hundreds of Fallen were slain in that moment. Almost every Fallen on the ground that stood anywhere near to the Maou's Queen died. The only ones that survived the attack were those that stood even vaguely near to either the others Devils or even Irina, Griselda and myself. The attack avoided us by a large margin, leaving wide circles of open space around us.

I felt my eyes water, irritated by the dirt in the air, when a thin cloud of dust washed over me and I barley withheld the urge to break out coughing as I was forced to breathe it in. I looked around and instantly felt grateful that the air around me wasn't as bad as it was elsewhere.

The rest of the ground was filled with a thick clouds of dust and debris, having been knocked in the by the attack. When the hundreds of steel bars slammed into the paved courtyard it shattered the bricks beneath it, sending up its fragmented remains into the air.

It was thick too, preventing me from seeing anything more than a few yards away and I realized that this was probably what the Devil had intended. This was exactly the same situation that the Fallen had to face at the start. He had completely reset the battlefield back to beginning, only worse because this time over half the courtyards was clouded. He could be anywhere.

"Enough!" An angered voice called out. A six-winged Fallen quickly soared high up into the sky, before halting his ascent and glaring down at the field bellow.

"Everyone to me!" He ordered, "Take to the skies and bombarded him until he's dead." His eyes were filled with an unholy mixture of hatred and fury as he scowled at the veil of dust that hid the Devil, "And If he fires another one of his swords," A streak of light flashed into his hands as he conjured a spear of light, "just shoot it down before it gets anywhere near us."

There was a moment of complete silence as everyone absorbed his words, then the courtyard was filled with the flutter of wings as the Fallen took the skies. There were hundreds of them, easily a thousand strong.

Despite the losses they just suffered at the hands of the red-haired Devil they haven't lost any more than a small fraction of their total strength. And that fact couldn't have been made clearer to me than right now, as the entire world around me completely disappeared behind their raven wings.

They filled the sky, rising up from the ground like a swarm of locusts. Already the numbers the filled the skies were beyond what I could count and still they came, until even the moons and the stars themselves were hidden behind the pitch-black of their wings.

It was then, as my eyes followed the flight of the Fallen swarm as they soared to the night skies, that I caught of sight of Kokabiel.

He was perched on one of the peaks of the school building. He was squatting down, one hand place firmly on the floor before him while the other one was draped over his knee, as he looked down on over the courtyard.

It was like watching one of the gargoyles on the cathedral's roof. Completely unmoving, he blended in so well into the rooftop that it looked like he was carved from the stone of the building. I almost didn't see him, and if it weren't for his eyes I'm wouldn't have.

The only thing stone-like in those eyes were the coldness in them.

I felt my heart stop in my chest in and the air freeze in my lungs as I caught sight of them. They were terrifying. My body reacted on its own, moving several panicked steps backwards, trying to get as far away as I could from those eyes.

I must have caught his attention because the next thing I knew, those cold ice blue eyes turned towards me and - _ohmygodimgonnadieimgonnadiediediedierunIhavetorunjustrunawayorimgoingtodiediediedie_- and looked away after a moment.

I couldn't hear a thing, the sound of my heart beating so painfully in my chest drowned out everything else. My breaths came out in short shallow pants and my throat felt painfully dry as I swallowed. I could feel myself shaking, my entire body trembling but I didn't move, didn't dare take so much as a single step in case I drew those eyes back to me.

What…What the hell was that? What happened to his eyes?

Even when we fought Kokabiel before, he when it looked like he was trying to kill us, there was something warm about him. When we traded blows it he was almost playful about it, not in condescending manner but as if he was truly enjoying himself and held himself back just to draw the fight out.

Back then it just made me angry. Insulted that after all my years of training, my countless hours of practicing with my sword, he saw my best attempts to kill him as nothing but a game, as if I were just a little child trying to whack my father with a foam sword. But now, now I no longer felt insulted, just grateful that he never decided to take me seriously.

Because if the price I had to pay was to look into those eyes, I didn't want to pay it.

I understood now, he was never trying to kill us before. When he attacked us he always held back, using just enough force to put us down without truly hurting us. Always using the absolute minimum to take us out of the fight.

But it was different now.

There was no restraint in those eyes, no hint of mercy, no holding back. This was not the Kokabiel that we faced before. The one filled with helpful advice even as he crushed us, who was disappointed in our failing as if they were his own. No, this was Kokabiel the Killer. Whose death toll in the Great War was so high that it was enough to mention him in Bible on that merit alone. The Kokabiel whose took a bunch of Low-ranked unexperienced Angels and turned them to a trained force that were feared and respected by friends and enemies alike. The one whose exploits in the field of combat has dubbed him a battle maniac.

And now that very killer has chosen the red-haired Devil as his latest prey, and there was no doubt in my mind that he was going to kill him. He will call on every scrap of power under his command, use every bit of battle knowledge and experience he has gathered in his millennia of existence, and every drop of skill in his body and bring it down on him.

That was what he was going right now. Perched like some great hawk on the ledge of the roof, he was watching his prey. Examining every attack, analyzing every detail, noting every strength and flaw in his form.

His face a cold detached mask while his glimmering blue eyes glinted like ice picks in the night gloom as they slowly drifted left and right as he scanned the battlefield for the red-head, and all the while he looked for potential weakness to attack, holes in his guard to exploit.

And when he's done finally done. When he collects every bit of information, analysis every data, thinks up plans and counter plans, and forge them in his minds into the tools he needed to win, he's going to descend on the battlefield and kill him.

A bright light caught my attention and I turned towards it, welcoming the distraction no matter what it maybe. Anything was better than looking into…those…eyes…

…Fuck my life.

As I started up into sky where the source of the light originated from I could not help but wonder if I had just jinxed myself. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse. I was wrong, Kokabiel wasn't going to kill us after all. We'll all be long dead before he gets the chance.

"We're dead." A voice off to my side coolly stated. The other male devil of the Sitri group seemed to have regained conciseness and he was calmly looking up at the sky as he lay spread eagle on the ground. "So dead."

They outshone the light of the long distant suns and have taken their rightful place as the night's true stars. They gleamed in its darkness, hundreds upon hundreds shinning jewels on a backdrop of black. From horizon to horizon they stretched, filling the sky whole, a painting of glimmering lights with the sky itself as the canvas.

A thousand and more spears crafted from the light of the planet itself hung above the skies of Kaou Academy. So bright that they illuminated the world beneath them with their light.

There before me stood the full might of the Fallen Host. Their tactics have failed, their Phalanx lay broken and so they have abandoned it. Instead they will lay to their enemy from afar, they will rain down death and destruction, and scorched the earth itself if they must to take down their foe.

This was the most basic attack for all Angels, Fallen or not. A tried and true method that was never replaced or abandoned since it was created at the dawn of time. That was because it worked, overwhelming the enemies by pouring down destructions from the Heavens until nothing but ruin was left behind.

And now we're about to experience its power first hand.

The six-winged angel who took command of the Host raised his spear over his shoulder as the rest of the Fallen around him did the same.

"On my call we fire as one." He commanded, his eyes never leaving the cloud beneath him. He cocked his arm back, "Ready!" The stars above us rippled as the entire swarm of fallen prepared their spears.

"Aim!" A thousand and more light spears shifted slightly in the grips of the Fallen, as they adjusting their lengths so that the tip of each spear was aimed at the courtyard bellow. And when the next command was given they will let loose the spear, raining death and destruction upon-

"_**Having seen the ending, I continue to walk down this road"**_

The words rippled across the battlefield, the undeniable weight it held gave pause to even the Fallen Angels high above. And as if they were pushed back by his words, the clouds of debris that hid from the Devil from our eyes quickly cleared, revealing…

The silence that fell upon the courtyard was almost deafening with intensity as every as every eye there gazed in wonder at what was they saw.

"He told me yes." The voice of the Sitri's heir drifted out a few seconds later in the absolute silence that had taken hold of the world, sounding just as shocked and disbelieving as I felt. "I asked him if he had a lot swords and he told me yes. Just yes. The jerk has been hanging around my sister for far too long."

They hung in the air, held up by invisible hands, by the hundreds, by the thousands they numbered. Enough to match each spear and more. They lined up row over row, spanning the width of the courtyard and still more kept appearing, conjured from thin air. Even the least among them radiated so much power I could almost feel it warming my skin like the heat of a bonfire.

Unlike Griselda or even Irina, I had no talent in sensing magic but I have always had an unnaturally good eyes for swords, sensing their nature far better than anyone Griselda had ever seen before. And I only needed a single glance to tell what masterpieces these swords were.

Swords with powers that could match the Excaliburs were made mundane as they hung next to swords so beautiful that I can look upon it for a day and night and still not have enough of its sight. Swords more pure than a mother's loved hung next to blades so hideous that I felt them stain my soul simply by the knowledge of their existence.

And still more came, filling the air with every passing heartbeat, all pointed upwards towards the Fallen host.

Now those swords straight out of legend, wielded by villains and hero alike, lined the air as they were brought to existence by the red-haired Devil that stood in the middle of it all. His golden eyes shone with an unmatched resolve as they locked onto the hate filled greys of the six-winged Fallen above him.

His spoke out the words just as the Fallen repeats his command, "Trace bullet-" / "Aim-"

""_Fire!"" _Their voice rang out as one.

From the Heavens they descended.

From the Earth they ascended.

And in between where the Heavens began and the Earth ended, they clashed.

* * *

><p>To any of the citizens in the city that had looked up at the skies that night, they would have seen the stars themselves fall from the very sky.<p>

They were like shooting stars, those spears of light, streaking down from the heavens and onto earth. More numerous then drops in the rain, more captivating than any flame, and far more deadly.

It was the weapon that Heaven sends upon those that dare to defy it. With a hundred of its Angels, it brought down the Tower of Babel in a single wave. Now once again it came falling down upon the earth, this time by ten times that number and it was as if a waterfall of white light had tumbled down out of Heaven's gates.

It was a force so powerful that even the strength of the mountains themselves could not bear its weight. What can the might of a single Devil do against such a thing? It should have crushed him, swept him aside with the utmost ease before tearing through the crust of the earth that he stood on.

It did not.

It was stopped by steel.

Spear point met sword edge and broke upon it. Burning light fought against cold metal and was extinguished. They were the weapons of Heaven, a power God had bestowed on his Angels but they were surpassed by the power of a single man.

Blade of finest steel shot from the ground to the skies, tossed upward by invisible hands. And they greeted the spears of their enemies in an explosion of light. It filled the sky in endless stream of fireworks, sending shockwaves of noises echoing through the city.

Yet over the hundreds upon hundreds of blows have been exchanged, not a single blade has been destroyed. It was always the spear that shattered, split and fragmented on the unyielding edge of the blade.

Like the water of waterfall breaking upon the surface of the earth, so too did the light spears on the break on the curtain of steel swords that rose up to defy. They could not harm it, could not defy it, could do nothing but knock it away.

Light was stopped by steel.

It was then pushed back.

They tossed wave after desperate waves of spears but for every spear was they threw down another blade rose up to match it. However while a single sword was more than a match for any spear, the same could not be said for the reverse. The price of two or more was needed to be paid to deflect even the least among the blades, and it was a price the Fallen could not afford pay.

The toll began to tell.

It began slowly, barely notable to even the keenest of eyes, but moment after moment it began to pick up speed and soon all watched in disbelief as the great waterfall of light was pushed back, slowly reversing its course was sent back up into the Heavens where it came from, rejected by the earth itself.

The Fallen could do nothing but watch with uncomprehending eyes as their end approached them. Even as they continued to desperately conjure and cast more spears to fight back the tide of steel that rose up from the ground to drown them in but they could hold it back no longer.

Defeat has come for them at last, with their death following its wake.

After a millennia of fighting undefeated, the Fallen Host have has finally lost.

Then Kokabiel entered the battlefield.

* * *

><p>He unhurriedly rose out of from his crouch, with all of his usual grace, as if there wasn't a battle going on over head.<p>

He raised his head and revealed his face to the skies above him. The clash of swords and spear overhead released explosions of light, illuminating parts of his face for a moment before casting it back into shadow before repeating again.

Standing on top of the building's roof he gazed at the battlefield above him with empty eyes. No rage, no anger, no excitement, just emotionless pits of ice blue.

He did nothing for a moment, as he watched his troops fight and fail against the human clad in the flesh of a Devil. He watched as the might of their light was broken on the strength of his steel and did could not but feel bitter disappointment in his heart.

The boy was strong, remarkably so but it was not enough. Nowhere near enough.

Humanity could not be saved with this alone.

He then turned his eyes to the ground and looked down at his dead men. These were his friends, not even his Fall, not even after their Father's death did they leave him, such was their loyalty. They were his brothers, even had they not shared the same father he would have proudly called them that as he embraced them as family. And now they lay dead on the field bellow him.

But he did not mourn them.

Why should they be mourned? All of them knew what awaited them at their journey's end was neither heavenly rewards nor eternal Glory but the unforgiving embrace of death. Even he would be no exception. No matter if they win or lose, they would all be dead within the year.

Yet still they did not leave him, did not hesitate to walk down this road knowing what awaited them. They will fulfill their duty to their bitter end, knowing that they will be neither rewarded nor thanked.

So what reason did have to mourn them? He would be joining them all soon enough, just as he promised them he would. They will all be untied in the end once again.

But still, somewhere in his heart he felt pain. Only the knowledge that he would see them soon enough allowed him to carry on.

He shut his eyes as he bowed his head in regret at what must be done. For a long moment of silence, he did nothing but pray. And when he did move, when he finally open his eyes to the world again, they were no longer empty.

They shone with absolute power.

On the battleground beneath him, all but one of the Devils and humans were forced down to their knees. Pushed down by the mere presence he was radiating, crushed as if a hand of some invisible God forced them down. Some were forced flat on the ground, unable to lift their head before his might.

He turned his eyes back up to the skis again and this time raised a single hand up high, fingers stretched open, as if trying to grab the Heavens themselves.

Then he clenched his hand.

The world light up with all the brightness of day. Not a single shred of shadow marked the world until the white skies.

It was as if the morning dawn had come and gone, and a new day was well on its way. The light that filled the sky was so bright that it reflected off the floating clouds, painting them a pure white as if it hung in the day's sky not the night's.

Or at least, what little bits of clouds one could see past the spears.

There were countless of them. They filled the entire sky by the tens of thousands, each shining like a sun. They painted the entire sky a glimmering white, as if a shimmering lake of liquid light hung in the skies above and flooded it from horizon to horizon.

The night was turned into day as the entire city was illuminated brighter than the light of a single sun ever could.

Kokabiel lowered his hands, and it was as if the sky fell.

They fell by the thousands and pushed back the steel. The blades that shot to the sky, looking to pierce the Heavens, were pushed back to the ground by the might of one of its children.

Though even his spears broke on the swords' edge, they too were shattered in turn. Fragments of metal rained down from the sky, pelting the ground bellow as they met their end on his spears.

And when the swords could not be broken, when their power were too mighty even for him to match, they were pushed aside by sheer number.

For each of the boy's mightiest of sword, he called upon a dozen or more to match it. And when that were not enough he called on a hundred, then a thousand and more of his spears to push it back down. And still more rained down upon them in a never ending downpour.

This was the power of a twelve-winged Angel. The strongest of God's soldiers, the mightiest of Heaven's children.

The world had forgotten their might. Not since the Great War had the world witnessed their true power. Not with Michael laboring behind Heaven's Gates and Azazel hidden in his labs.

They were creature of power, who could stand up to Maou's of the underworld and not be found lacking. In Heaven, they were second to none but God himself. They could destroy nations whole and raze entire continents. But it had been a Millennium since their true power was last witness on this earth.

The world had forgotten their might.

Kokabiel reminded them.

The gains the swords from the Earth have made against the spears from the Heavens was lost in seconds. In one heartbeat their advance was slowed, in the next it was haltered, and by the third it was reversed. Soon it was steel that was pushed back, sinking back down to the ground that birthed them.

An endless curtain of white was pulled down from the skies and when they fall to the ground, like how they brought about the end of the plays since the times of old, so too would this bring about the battle's end.

And yet though his victory was assured, his desired war soon at hand, Kokabiel could only look down in confusion at the face of the boy who he faced. The one whose soul was bathed in the Devil's tainted magic yet remained unspoiled. The child who he placed his faith in but had been found lacking.

The boy did not look defeated. Not angry nor even defiant as he face his coming doom.

He was smiling up at him peacefully, arms held out in welcome. And then spoke,

"_**It is my only path.**_

_**My whole life had been,"**_

The spears of light had broken down the last of his swords, and now they were tearing at him, ready to pierce through his flesh and bones but still he did not look away. His eyes locked unwearyingly on to the Fallen Lord's as he called its name.

"_**Unlimited Blade Works"**_

And the world disappeared behind a wall of flames.

* * *

><p>I crinkled my face, as something tickled the end of my nose.<p>

It still wouldn't disappear so I cracked my eyes open to glare at it but regretted it almost immediately as sunlight shone directly into my eyes, forcing me to shut them again and grimace in pain.

This time prepared, I forced my eyes open and glared at the culprit. A single blade of grass, paint gold by the light of the setting sun or the coming dawn. It fluttered in the slight breeze, rubbing against the tip of my nose as it did so.

Taking a deep breath before I puffed the offending grass away, observing with contentment as it leaned away. Watching it for several more seconds to make sure it won't be blown back, I let loose a sigh of contentment as I buried myself deeper in the patch of warm grass beneath me, my tired aching body demanding rest.

Just as I was about to shut my eyes and fall back to sleep again, I caught sight of a pair of yellow eyes looking back at me. It took me a couple of seconds to realize they were my own when I noticed the strands of blue hair framing it.

Before me, just inches away from my eyes was a blade, buried tip first into field of grass beneath it. I dumbly stared back at my startled face that was reflected on its surface for a few moments before I gathered my wits about me and tried to remember what had just happened.

Placing my hand one good hand beneath me, careful not to jolt my broken arm too much, I pushed myself into an upright position and examined the sword that was planted onto the grassy field before me.

"…Beautiful." The words slipped past my lips, as I stared in disbelief at it. How can a sword like this possibly exist?

I could feel the power radiating from it, far more than any sword I had ever seen before, yet it was not oppression or overwhelming. It was warm, almost welcoming, something that I had only sensed from Holy Swords in the past, yet I knew each and every single Holy Sword in the world and this was not one of them.

It was sword without peer, without equal. I had walked through the vaults of the Vatican and witnessed all of its treasures, yet none could match this one's splendor.

Its edge was flawless, free from any blemishes or imperfections and looked sharp enough to split light itself. I stared at the patch golden grass that was reflected on flat of its blade, its polished steel acting better than any mirror. Its hilt was the colour of the purest gold, wrapped around by a fine green hide I could not recognize and ending a jeweled pommel.

Yet for all of its beauty and almost delicate appearance I knew that this was a sword crafted for war. Knew it had seen it, been wielded in it and thrived there as it bathed in the blood of its enemies and emerged victorious every time. Knew that its unchipped edge did not reflect its lack of use but was a testament to its power, that none it had ever faced had ever been able to leave its mark upon it.

And suddenly I knew the sword's name.

"Durandal."

That was its name, I was sure of it. But this blade was not Durandal, could not be it. It was not my Durandal, the Holy Sword that had chosen me as its wielder when I was eleven.

And yet, and yet the achingly familiar longing that I felt in the heart of my soul as I looked upon it, the way it called out to me left me in no doubt. This was Durandal, the blade of Saint Roland just as surely as my own was.

How? How can two swords, both of them originals exist?

*thud*

My back thumped against something slender and solid as I had leaned backwards without meaning to. I turned around to look at what I had ran into and found myself looking at another sword. Before I could so much as examine it I caught sight of another planted into the ground next to it, and another next to that one and still another after that.

I looked around to find myself surrounded by swords. Easily a dozen and more surrounded me, sprouting out of the ground as if they were trees. There were so many of them that they blocked the sight of the world around me, caging me between their blades and inadvertently creating a curtain of steel around me.

Cradling my broken arm to my chest I pushed off the ground with the other, forcing myself to my feet. I wobbled for a moment, my legs having trouble holding up my weight, before I regained my balance and planted both my feet firmly on the ground.

After sparing my feet one final glance, satisfied that they'll hold up for now, I raised my head and look at the scenery around me and what I saw was…

…a world of endless swords.

They rose out of the ground like tombs of a grave, standing tall, proud and ever vigil under the rays of the setting sun. Each one was an unparalleled masterpiece, a peerless blade. They were laid out before me in their thousands, stretching out in every direction towards the distance horizon and beyond, far father than my eyes could ever see.

Wars have been fought for such swords, entire nations were brought to their knees by their strength and legends were born on the might of their steel. History had been rewritten time and again by the ones who wielded them and kings who owned mountains of gold would look upon their owners with envy.

Men had died for the right to hold a single one of these blade. Heroes journeyed the globe to battled Devils and Demons alike to prove worthy of one. And now they were laid out before me in their untold thousands, in numbers beyond continuing, beyond understanding, even beyond limit.

An Unlimited Blade Work.

A gentle breeze flew past me, blowing the bangs of my hair past my face. The grass beneath my feet swayed with the wind, their calf-high stalks bending in the breeze, sending a slow rolling waves running through the fields of grass that surrounded me.

The grass rose out from the ground as far as I can see, standing side by side with swords of steel that littered the land they grew from. There was nothing else in this place, nothing but a land of rolling grass and sharpened steel. It should have been a world of green, this place of grasslands and blades.

But this world was anything but green.

Dyed under the rays of the setting sun, the world around me was painted the colour of crimson-gold. The steel of the swords reflected the rays of the sun, setting them ablaze with a crimson fire as they continued to stand over the fields of rippling gold.

It should have been a beautiful sight, a wonder to behold but I felt no joy at the sight of it. Instead my eyes water and vision blurs as an emotion I could neither name nor understand swelled in my chest. For a reason I did not understand my soul ached at the sight of those swords.

I knew that they were just swords, unloving and unfeeling steel. But as I continued to watch them standing with their hilts help up to the sky, as if they were waiting for someone to come and wield them, as if they were patiently waiting for the arrival of the one who may never appear, my heart just broke and I felt a single teardrop run down the side of my cheek.

_Lonely_.

That's what I feeling, they looked lonely. Though they were countless of them, those swords unmoving and unbending as their hilts reached out for the sky, they looked as if they stood utterly alone.

Before I could ponder more on the matter, I was distracted by the sound of grinding gears coming over head. I looked up, my eyes scanning the sky but there was nothing unusual there. Just the red and orange hues of the dusk sky.

Still, I knew I heard something, so I kept looking. I kept looking until-

"Oh my God," I almost lost my balance as I leaned my head further back to look at them, "what happened to the sky?"

In the gold and crimson skies above me, hung massive metal gears. Larger than any building, they must have weighed thousands of tones easy, but they hung there in the sky above me as if they were weightless, suspended above me like the clouds themselves.

With nothing holding them up they turned ever slowly, rotating and grinding against one another. Their metallic exterior was so smooth that it act like mirrors, reflecting the sky and the clouds around them on their surface, allowing it to blend in with the rest of the sky.

"Xenovia," a voice called out from my left. I turned and found Irina standing next to me, looking around in bewilderment, "where…where are we?"

She wasn't the only one who was there either. I could see Griselda sitting on the ground a little further off, and the rest of the Devils from the Gremory and Sitri Peerage not too far behind her. Many of them were too injured to move, and instead remained were they sat or lay on the ground.

I turned my head as I caught a flicker of movement off the side and spotted the Host of Fallen drifting not too high off the ground much further away from where we were, with Kokabiel standing firmly on the ground beneath them. They too were looking around in confusion.

When did they get here? Were they always there and I didn't notice or did they just appear?

"What is this place?" Despite the words, Kokabiel did not sound confused so much awed as he looked around him. His eyes locked onto a sword before him and, after a moment of contemplation, he tentatively reach out his hand towards the hilt but a voice called out, interrupting him before he could grab it.

"My soul." The voice answered.

* * *

><p>I ran my hand across the blades of grass growing from the ground of my Reality Marble, feeling oddly giddy as I did so.<p>

Something _grows_ here.

This was no desolated landscape, a desert of nothing but iron and steel where little lives or grows and never for long, not without withering and dying. This was not Archer's Reality Marble, it was mine. And as I continued to run my fingers through the blades of grass I felt content with that thought.

Something can live here.

I was not wrong, this path while a hard one was not a wrong one. This land maybe a place of eternal twilight, a world where the sun will never truly set nor the promised dawn ever appear but it was a world where something other than me can live.

I still remember vividly Archer's reactions when he first saw it. How he looked around in disbelief before staring at me for a long moment and told me 'you really are different'. Then he smiled. It wasn't his usual ones, his harsh mocking sharper than broken glass of a smile that he would often give me. This was different, watching it was like watching a new dawn, bright innocent and so very warm.

It was such a smile.

Pulling my hands away from the grass, I rose up and turned towards the horizon. I looked past the fields of rolling glass and endless swords that filled them and stared at the distant horizon that hid the sun from sight.

It will come. One day my dawn will come and this world will be bathed under the light of a sky the colour of clearest of blues. I will make sure it happens, after all what kind of Hero would I be if I couldn't even save myself. That is why I will make sure that one day, the dawn will come.

…but that was for another day.

I turned my back to the horizon. Right now I had something else to do, someone else to save. I shut my eyes and focused, searching for the others. This was my realty marble, a manifestation of my very soul, I knew it better than I could possible know anything else. I knew where every sword lay, where every blade of grass swayed in the wind as easily as I knew where my fingers were. And finding them all in this place was almost child's play.

When I brought them into my world, I made sure to scatter them all across my Reality Marble, a helpful little trick I learned to do not too long ago. It wouldn't do to draw them all in here but place them side by side to an enemy that was just trying to kill them. After all-

I frowned as I noticed something wrong. Someone was in here that wasn't supposed to be. Whoever they were I couldn't recognize them. And it definitely wasn't one of the Fallens or Devils, this person was human. And not one of the Exorcists, I already have all three of them accounted for.

It didn't matter, I didn't have time to waste with whoever this was. While I couldn't identify much about them, not even their gender, I could sense the magic coming from the intruder so at the very least whoever this human was they were at least magically aware. That meant I didn't have to worry about erasing their memories. So for the time being I'll let them wander alone away from everyone else but keep them away from the fight. I'll deal with whoever it was when this was all over.

That decided, I mentally pushed the matter to one side as I searched for the others and quickly drew them to me, while making sure to keep the Fallen separate from the rest.

I felt them come to me in an instant. In this place distance had no meaning to me. It wasn't teleportation or anything like that but rather, it felt like floding the pages of a map together to bring two objects closer to one another.

And just like that, I felt them arrive all around me. There was no distortion, no loud nosie to herald their arrival. They simply took one step someplace else and by the time they set their foot down they found themselves here. First the exorcist, then Sona and Gremory with their Peerages and final Kokabiel with his army of Fallen.

"What is this place?" I heard Kokabiel question as I opened my eyes, though it didn't seem like it was directed at me. I wasn't sure he even noticed me. Nevertheless, I decided to answer him.

"My soul."

In any other circumstances it would have been funny to see so many heads, especially those of all three factions, whip around as one to face me. So fast that I was sure more than a few of them suffered from whiplash.

As it was I only allowed myself a mildly amused smile to make its way to my lips as I greeted them, "I welcome you all to my soul, to my _Unlimited Blade Works."_

I was greeted by a wave of confusion filling faces, though I could see a flicker of comprehension dawning on Kokabiel's face. But it was the blue-haired exorcist's reaction that caught my attention the most. She didn't look confused or surprised, just sad as she started at me with…was that pity in her eyes?

"Shirou," I turned to see Sona cautiously approaching me. She was looking around her as she did so, her eyes opened so wide that I could see the white of her eyes. She wasn't the only one either. While the exorcists being humans could neither sense nor properly comprehend the scale of the magic flowing out of the world around them, that wasn't the case with the Devils or even the Fallen.

They were surrounded by thousands of swords, where even the least among them was radiating enough power to match an Excalibur, and more than a few of which could bring down an entire mountain, and each and every one of them knew it.

"Shirou," Sona repeated and even now she could not stop looking about herself, only stopping to stare at the great gears that hung without support in the sky as even now they continued to slowly turn and grind against one another, "Where are we?"

I smiled at her, not the least surprised that she did not understand what I meant. Most didn't after all and Sona had always been a realistic and practical sort. Logic and reason were what ruled her mind. Something like this that not just borders on the impossible, but runs over logic like a truck before backing up and running over it again, would not have been something she could easily accept.

Only someone with an extremely flexible and imaginative mind could accept something like this easily. A mind like Serafall's for instance.

Oh Hell, Serafall. When she visited my Reality Marble for the second time she ignored all my attempts to explain it to her and declared that as the owner of my soul that it was her right to redecorate the place, as the Unlimited Blade Works was the literal embodiment of it. She then somehow managed to produce thousands of pink ribbons from who knows where and proceeded to tie it around the hilt of ever sword she could find.

I shook my head in an attempt to dispel the memory from my head, having never been more gratefully that nothing could remain in my Reality Marble that was not a part of it. I would be too ashamed to bring anyone in here otherwise.

"I already told you," I answered Sona, "this," I waved a hand around us, "is my soul."

"But what does that even mean?" Her frustration at my not answer finally breaking thought her shock, causing her to turn and glare at me. I had to resist the urge to pinch her check at how adorable she looked trying to be so commanding.

"It means exactly what it sounds like, this is my soul. Everything in here, every blade of grass, every sword and even the ground you walk on, everything is a part of my soul. All that your eyes are can see and everything it cannot is the physical manifestation of my soul.

"All of this Sona," I indicated the world around me with my arms, "is my Reality Marble, the Unlimited Blade Works, and it is the manifestation of my inner-world, my very soul given form."

"A world?" a voice whispered out. I turned to find Kokabiel staring at me with a look of utter awe, enough that it made me feel more than a little uncomfortable. "You've created a world?" He looked around himself one more time to make sure he what he was seeing was real before he turned back to me, his face no less reverent than before.

"Shirou…Do you realize what you've done?" He questioned, seemingly almost in a state of shock "You've created a world Shirou, a _world_! That is something only a God can do. Something that only they can accomplish.

"Father with Heaven, Odin with Valhalla, Hades and his the realm of the Dead. That is a power belonging to the Gods alone. To forge an entire realm, where only they rule and everything in it falls under their command. That is something only the can do, and you…you did this?"

He titled his head to one side as he looked me in the eyes. I felt him scrutinized me, dissecting me with his eyes as he searched through me. Then he acted.

It came without warning. No tells whatsoever. So fast that I was sure that I was the only one who could see him move. In less time it took most people could blink, Kokabiel conjured a spear and hurled it at me, moving nothing but a single arm as the rest of him stood stock still. It crossed the space between us before anyone else realized what was happening.

I didn't dodge, didn't block, didn't so much as move. I didn't need to. Not here, not in this place where only I ruled. Nothing could hurt me here unless I allowed it.

A sword shot down from the sky and slammed onto the oncoming spear. It tore through it, shattering it to pieces before it buried itself on the ground between us.

It was over before anyone else could even comprehend what just happened.

"So it true." he breathed out in disbelief, ignoring the sounds of alarm from around us as the others finally reacted. The uncomfortable looks of reverence returned to his face. "You can control everything in here. You've breached the realm of the very Gods themselves and you did this…with just your soul?" He continue to stare at me for a time before he began to laugh.

It started out small, soft breaths that could hardly count as laughter, but it quickly grew. His shoulder began to shake and shake as the sound of his laughter began to grow faster before he simply threw his head back and laughed. By the end of it his entire frame shook from the force of his laughter and still it went on until he seemed to run out of breaths and his laughter began to taper off to the soft breaths for laughter that he started out with.

"This is it." He began after he finally got a hold of himself, flashing me a wide smile. "This is what Father spoke of, what he saw in man that day. This is the power of the mankind, the potential of the human soul-"

"No." Kokabiel stopped, then turned and looked at me in surprise at my interruption.

"No?" He parroted, tilting his head in incomprehension.

"No," I repeated with a slow shake of my head, "while the Unlimited Bladeworks is many things, the pinnacle of mankind it is not. The thing that you seek is something greater, something far more sublime than this world of steel."

"You-" he asked with a face filled utter bewilderment, "You mean to say there's more?"

"Kokabiel," I admonished him with a smile, "you should know better than anyone that when it comes to humans, there is always more."

Again he looked completely bewildered before "Pfft-" a muffled laughter escaped his lips "Hahahaha! You're right, you're absolutely right. Of course there is more! I had forgotten, with your kind there is always more. What else can I expect of a race that embodies potential?" Then he laughed again.

I waited for him to finish, watching as has he announced his joy to the world with guileless innocent laughter, so happy for the accomplishments of race that was not even his own. When he was finally done I spoke.

"So?" I asked.

"So?" he asked back, a mischief smile on his lips as his eyes twinkled with unconcealed amusement.

I shook my head at his sudden bout of childishness, "Will you surrender?"

"Will the Devils leave humanity be? Will the Three Factions withdraw from the world of man and let them live in peace?"

"No," I could not lie to him, not even if it meant that it might stay his course and save his life. He deserved better than that, "That will never happen. So long as there is something for them to gain, those that are not humans will never leave humanity alone." It has always been that way.

He slowly shook his head had at me, a fond smile still adorning his face, "Then I'm sorry my friend but that is something I cannot do."

I nodded in understanding, not having expected anything else. "So we fight?"

"We fight." He nodded in response.

Then he took a moment to look me in the eyes and I stared back in turn. There was no need for us to say anything. We both understood without words that this will be last time we'll ever meet. Then as one we turned away from each other and began to walk away.

As I made my way forward, striding past the calf high grass that brushed against my legs as I did so, I sensed him taking flight behind me. When I had reached a reasonably distance from everybody else, I turned around and faced the fallen army that had were still soaring in the sky, just in time to see Kokabiel take his rightful place at the head of it.

Kokabiel hovered in the air for a moment, doing nothing but gazing across the sword filled landscape beneath him. He turned his eyes skywards, towards the colossal gears the continued to toil and turn in near silence before turning to look towards the distant horizon the hid the sun from view. "Yes," even with the distance between us I heard as clearly as if I stood next to him, "this would do. This isn't such a bad place to die."

He turned around to face his army of Fallen, all of whom stared back at him expectedly. "BROTHERS," He called out to them, "in the time beyond counting that we have known each, fought by one another, we have faced many foes. From the accursed Devils to our fellows Angels in the Great War, and even the servants of other pantheons in the time before that."

A sword in the ground before me began to rattle for a moment within the grip of the earth that held it, before it was slowly lifted out of the ground, pulled up into the air by an invisible hand.

"But tonight, we face an enemy unlike any other. What stands before us brothers is not a Devil, but a man. Though his soul has been bathed by the depth of their corruption it has emerged untainted, his spirit remains unbroken and pure. In that soul brothers, I see hope. For the first time since our Father's demise hope exists for mankind."

A second sword off to my left was raised off the ground and joined the first in the air. Then a third off to the distance began to rise and another from behind. Then they rose in their twos, then threes then in their dozens.

"But is it enough? Will the spirit of a single man be enough to survive the coming storm, to lead the rest of humanity to prosperity in these dark times, or will this hope be extinguished like the many that came before it? "

By their hundred, by their thousands, the swords continued to raise, filling the sky with their steel and still more kept following after them, in never ending numbers.

"That is why we shall test it. Here and now we shall test the steel of his soul and judge its worth. We shall strike it with all of our might and see if it can emerged unscathed. And if it does, if it is we who break and fall on his steel, we can die knowing that at long last our solemn duty has been fulfilled. That the day has finally come that man no longer needs us to guide and protect them, and we can at we can at last put down our arms and let our weary souls rest."

No matter how many swords were pulled from the earth, there were more to replace. Soon the sky filled with swords, numbering more than the land beneath them could possibly had held, and still more came.

"However if he loses, it means the time for us to lay down out burden has yet to come. That we must still continue to fight on in order to fulfill our duty, to see out Father's final wish fulfilled." Kokabiel turned around and stared unflinchingly at the sky full of swords that greeted him.

"But no matter the result, whether we win or lose, this will be our final war. By its end, be it on this day or another, we will all be dead." He look on without fear at the swords before, even as they continued to rise in number. He and those that followed him were limited yet still he would dare face the unlimited.

"So I ask you," He turned back to face his men, "knowing this, will you still fight?"

A thousand and more spears of light erupted to life into hands of the Fallen was their answer.

Even from as far away I stood I could still see the expressions on the faces of the Fallen as they were illuminate by the light of their spears. Not one among them faltered as they stared resolutely at both me and up towards the swords the filled the world around them, they were committed to the last.

"I see." There was no dissuading them was there? All of them were willing to surrender their life, all to honor a Father's final wish.

One's life is a treasure, a gift beyond all measure. I truly believe that. But that doesn't mean that it is the most valuable thing you'll ever have. It is far from surprising that sometime during the course of your life, in this world filled with so many wonders, that you'll eventually find something you'll treasure even more. Be it a cause, an ideal or even a friend, for that most precious of treasures you'd willing give your life up a thousand times over. And do it with a smile every time.

I can't even ask them to stop can I? Not without insulting even more. Any mercy I show them will be unwanted and unneeded. If that's the case then I will offer them none. These people have done too much, sacrificed themselves too many times only to be insulted by someone like me. They deserved far better than that.

So instead I will grant them the only thing I could.

I raised my left hand up into the air and as I did so every sword that filled the sky rotated in place, moving in time with my arm, until they were all pointed point first at the Host of Fallen before me.

I will grant them their journey's end, so that they may find rest at last.

I tried to think of something profound to say but nothing came to me, nothing but meaningless platitudes. So instead I uttered a simple, "Goodbye." and brought my hand down.

Then the swords descended.

And then they died.

It fell upon them in number beyond continuing, beyond numbering, a limitless rain of sword and steel. So many that they matched all treasures held within the Gates of Babylon and more. So powerful that they can bring down even the mightiest of Servants to their knees.

It could destroy the vastest of armies, this rain of swords and steel. Numbers against it held no meaning. Be it one or a thousand, before the unlimited all is made equal.

And at the face of such an onslaught-

Not a single one ran.

Even as their spear shattered in their very hands when they clashed with the torrent of steel, they fought on. Calling forth another spear when they could, or fighting on with their bare hands when they could not. A dozen and more swords would pierce their body yet still they would continue flinging their spears ahead, trying to fight back the unending tide of swords.

Some laughed in wonderment and joy at the power of the foe they face, while other screamed out in rage and unwavering defiance as they swung their spears but till the last they fought on, never surrendering nor despairing.

And when they were forced to the ground, dragged down by the sheer weight of the steel that clung to their flesh, still they fought on. Dragging their broken body across the ground, staining the grass with their blood, and forcing themselves to their feet, only stopping when another barrage of swords tore through their body and even then they only did so when the hearts in their chest stopped beating.

From a thousand that they began with, their numbers quickly dropped down to their hundreds and then dozens. The dead bodies of the defeated rained down around the still defiant living, and yet still they did not falter.

But defiance and spirit meant nothing against the hard unforgiven edge of cold steel. And so they continued to die until there were only a handful left, barely clinging to life as the swords continued to fall in unending numbers.

And in the heart of it all was Kokabiel.

It was like grace given form, talent personified. Though it was like watching a whirlwind, there was no chaos, no disorder. Every move had a purpose, every action a goal, not a single motion wasted. I thought I had seen talent during the Holy Grail War, that I had seen the pinnacle of skill in arms that can be achieved, but I was wrong. For in the end Servants, as mighty as they are, were still human. Mortal.

Even Assassin, who had spent a lifetime honing his skill, had only spent a fraction of time training that this Angel had. This was a being that have lived for eons and dedicated the entirety of the last Millennium honing his skill in arms and it showed.

The spear in his hands blurred, leaving trials of shimmering white, afterimages even my eyes cannot dispel. It was like a perfect dance, how each move flowed seamlessly to the next as all around him steel continued to crash with light.

Spears of light formed in the air by their thousands, hurled forward by unseen hands and crashing against the swords that threated to drown them. They created a sphere around him, where sword and spears clashed, while he fought on in the heart of it all.

And through it all he laughed.

The spears could only hold back the tide but an instant before they failed but an instant was all he needed. When the swords broke through, as they inevitably did, he would be ready for them. He danced and weaved around them as he whooped with joy, his laughter filling the air even as he barely avoided death only to face it once again.

Ducking under high blows and flying over the low, spinning and side-stepping the ones that came at his sides, he avoided the swords that broke through his barraged. When it was not possible for the strike to be dogged, even for one of his ability, he would deflect them with the spear in his hands.

Against a swords of legend, a Noble Phantasm in their perfect form, even his spears would be no match. They shattered in his hands but even with their destruction their purpose was fulfilled and the sword would be diverted, flying harmlessly away. He would then promptly conjure another spear in preparation to deflect the next sword.

And still it wasn't enough.

Skill can only do so much in the face of endless steel. All around him the rain of steel continued to fall, steadily pushing forward even as his spears vainly tried to hold them back. They kept closing in all around him, shrinking the space he had at the heart of his formation, as all the while the number of swords that broke through his spears would steadily rise.

Then the inevitable happened. He slipped up.

He had positioned himself incorrect, placing himself in the line of fire of two different swords that broke through his spears. They came at him one after the other, blocking his line of escape, and they did so at his most vulnerable moment. He was unarmed, having lost his previous spear deflecting a sword and did not have enough time to conjure another before they were upon him.

He could have avoided one sword but not the other. Not without throwing himself in between the swords and spear that battled all around him. He could neither evade them nor deflect them.

So instead he intercepted them.

It was one of the most remarkable example of swordsmanship I had ever seen. Moving so fast that even with my reinforced eyes I could barely see him move. He spun in place, counterclockwise, allowing the first sword to fly through where his left shoulder would have been as he turned. But before the sword could fly out of his reach his hand reached out and snatched the sword out of the air.

Using the momentum of his spin to carry the sword with him, he brought it overhead and swung it down onto the approaching second sword, intending to deflect it with the first.

It was a brilliant maneuver, one that would have impressed even the most experienced of fighters. It should have been impossible to achieve during the chaos of live combat, yet he pulled it off seamlessly. It was something I had never seen before and may never see again.

It was a shame that I couldn't allow him to complete it.

Just before the two swords clashed, I willed the first one out of his hands. And it complied immediately, eager to obey, disappearing from his grasp like it was never there. That should have ended him then and there but once again Kokabiel's inhuman reflexes came to play.

The slight widening of his eyes was the only sign he allowed to show of his surprise as he twisted his body out of the way, bending almost painfully to get out of the sword's path, and what should have been a mortal blow through his chest was turned into a deep gash in his side instead.

"Remarkable!" He laughed as if his blood did not spill out of his side and stained the ground far beneath him. "Truly remarkable! No one can use these swords but you, can they?" The curiosity and pure glee in his voice was unmistakable. It was if his death had no meaning to him.

"But," he turned his eyes towards me, just as he side-step a sword that came bearing down at him and used a newly summoned spear to knock away another, "this is not all of it. You found it, haven't you? The light Father spoke of?"

He was cut-off as he had to weave around another barrage of swords, but he soon carried on. "I want to see it. I want to understand what Father meant all those years ago. I want to know. Show it to me." For the first time I saw a true sliver of fear flash onto his face, something that even his dead could not bring, just as his voice turned imploring, "…Please?"

I shut my eyes as I answered, "…Of course." It was the reason why I brought him here after all. Without opening my eyes I reached out to my side, towards the sword that I knew was there.

Unlike any other sword I hadn't called for it, didn't summoned it, I didn't need to, never did. It was always there, always waiting. It had never left my side ever since that day, even after its master no longer remained here with me, it stayed.

This was a sword that I always kept closest to my heart, thus it was always by my side.

As I wrapped my hand firmly around its hilt, I opened my eyes and smiled up to the Angels. "You didn't need to ask." I told him, "I promised to save you didn't I?" Then I pulled the Sword from the earth-

-And the world was bathed in all the colour of the morning dawn.

It shone in my hands like a second sun, as if it held a one within its very steel. It blazed to life the moment I freed it from the ground, shining like a sword forged from light itself. It should have been painfully to look, lifting the sword up as I did and holding it by my face, it should have blinded me shining as brightly as it was but it was anything but painful. I could stare right into its heart and all I felt was its warmth, it was as if my soul was bathed under the light of the warmest of summer days.

In the grass fields of my Reality Marble, molts of gold began to appear. Little sphere of golden fire, they moved like fireflies in the air, called forth by the sword.

They danced around in the fields of grass, weaving around and over stems like playful children as their numbers continued to steadily grow until they appeared to match every blade of grass with their number, forming an illusion that I was surrounded by a lake of rippling gold.

Slowly, so gently it felt they were carried by the wind, they began to drift into the air before they turned and began to gather towards the sword, swirling around its blade, drawn in by it.

From the skies above the rain of steel lessened before tapering to a halt, their strength no longer needed. The Fallen, the handful that remained, finally having a reprieve from the unending barrage of swords had their first opportunity to attack. Committed as I was to wielding this sword, they may have even succeeded.

However none of them took advantage of it. No, perhaps it simply never occurred to them to. All of them were staring widely at the sword I held in my hand. They couldn't look away, unwilling to look away, captivated as they were by its radiance.

"I…I know this," Kokabiel, taking a step forward from where he, along with the remaining Fallen, had drifted to the ground. He reached out a hand before him, looking at the light that was reflected in his palm as if it was physical thing. He stared down into his hand with such frail look of hope on his face, his expression so fragile as if he dare not believe it was real, before looking back up into the sword. "I know this light."

"You should," I told him, raising the blade even higher as I did so, allowing all to see it, "it was what you were looking for after all."

Though it radiated a holy light, it did not harm any of the Devils around me. I could see the looks of disbelief and awe on their faces, the wonder reflected in their eyes as they stared at the Holy sword. Entranced by a blade too beautiful to be called beautiful, they looked on despite knowing they shouldn't.

Some stared at the little fireflies that had gathered around them, before running past them towards my sword. Some of them reached out a hand to catch one of them, only to find them slipping through their hands as it was never there.

As Devils, they should have died under its light. It should have blistered their skin, burned their flesh to the bone, bathed as they were under the light of this holiest of swords. It did no such thing, instead it welcomed them with its light. Greeting them like a long lost friend, filling them with a warmth that could only be found in a mother's embrace.

They had nothing to fear from this sword, it would never harm an innocent no matter what form it took. This wasn't a sword of God but of Man. And be it Devil or man, it rejected no one from its light, denied none the warmth of its embrace.

It was such a sword.

No matter how far they have fallen, so long as a splinter of good still shined in their soul, it would call out to it. I have seen it happen, reading the history etched in its blade. How looking upon its light made even Caster of the previous Holy War remember the memories and glories of his past, before his descent to murder and occult, back when he served alongside Joan of Arc, evoking tears and even regret in his final moments.

It was a sword that, by merely existing, made the world a better place.

"Can you see it Kokabiel?" I asked him, as the sword radiated in my hands, illuminating one side of my face. "Can you see it engraved on its blade? Our hopes, our dreams, the desperate wishes of mankind that's reflected in its light?"

* * *

><p><em>This is the manifestation of mankind's great desire, it the crystallization of the prayer named "glory" and everything etched in the hearts of those who are scattered at the sword's radiance; <em>

Xenovia watched as the sword of legend, the blade of the mightiest of kings was held in the hands of the red-haired boy before her. She could not look away as she listened to his words, captivated by the beauty of the sword's radiance.

Though the boy had not called its name, he did not need to, for she already knew it. She realized what it was the moment she was caught sight of its light. How can she not? After all-

All know its name.

It was E-

She felt a pair of arms warp around her, interrupting her thoughts and incasing her in a familiar warmth.

"You hold it like this," a nostalgic voice, one she hadn't heard for so, _so _long, told her as the hands that embraced her adjusted her grip of the wooden sword she held in her tiny hands, "That's how you do it."

She turned her head to look over her shoulders and a seven year old Xenovia found herself looking into the honey brown eyes of one she lost long ago. "Mom?"

The blue-haired women smiled down at her daughter she held in her arms. "Hello my little blue bird."

* * *

><p>-<em>the nostalgic, sorrowful, and hallowed dreams of those who were placed on the bloody hell called a battlefield, of all warriors past, present, and future fully exposed to the fear of death and despair, and yet who still cling to a dire: 'to be exalted.'<em>

"Stop it! It tickles."

A young girl with hair of purest white squealed with laughter as she pulled on the raven locks of an older girl who rubbed her face against her belly while she was held her in her arms.

She tilted her head from where it still remind on her stomach, revealing eyes gold that sparkled under the morning's light.

"Shirone, my little white sound, you are my treasure. You know that right?" She smiled up into the girl in her arms that looked down at her with eyes so similar to hers. "My most precious treasure. For you, I pray that your life will be filled with the music of your laughter, my little white sound. May the sound of your name be woven to that of eternal laughter." She looked so sincere, so happy at that moment as she stared into the eyes of her little sister before she buried her face back into the girl's stomach.

"Ahahaha, Nee-san that tickles" The little girl giggled in the older girl's arms as she rubbed her face on her tummy, half-heartedly trying to fight free from her embrace before she found herself gentle hauled up in to the air.

Held straight out before her sister's face, she had a clear look at her tender expression as she spoke. "I love you Shirone, more than you can ever know and I always will. Till the sun and the stars in the sky extinguish themselves and forever after, I will always love you. And I'll never stop."

"Hm!" The little girl nodded at her older sister's words, never doubting it for second. "Neh, Nee-san. You and me, we'll always be together right?"

"Right." She promised without hesitation, nodding back with a smile. Before a squeal of laughter erupted from the little girls as her sister began tickling her sides.

Tears drops glistered under the light of sword as they pooled under her eyes before spilling down the side of Koneko's listless face.

Her broken body was set down on its side on the grass filled ground, as her frame occasionally shook with entirely silent sobs. Her empty unseeing eyes, wet with her tears stared blankly ahead, lost in long gone memories of better days.

* * *

><p><em>It is the light that continues to shines in the darkest of nights. Our defiance at those who will try to extinguish the good in us all. Our honor that will never be stained.<em>

_Though forged by inhuman hand, by the will of the planet itself, it was crafted from the desires of mankind, the crystallization of our wishes. Born from our very hearts and it is the greatest of mankind's fantasy given form._

"Hahahaha, look at you! You've grown into an old Granny, Griselda!"

"Shut up Luka" She muttered at the apparitions before her though the fondness in her voice was unmistakable as she gazed into the forms of her three lost friends.

Once they were four and they traveled the globe, going on adventure after adventure. Rescuing innocents, battle monsters and defying Evil before partying the night away after every battle. They were Heroes in every meaning of the worlds. Such was their adventures that their tales have been made legend.

But even legends must end sometime.

"Truly time has taken its toll on you oh fair Griselda." The well well-dressed man in a green tunic with a pair of old specs adoring his face gave her a bow. Even as he bent his body forward he never released the old leather-bound book from his ink-stained hands.

"Are you two sure that's really Griselda? She looks so old with all of those wrinkles, there is no way it can be her." Though the teasing smile on the raven haired beautify belied her words. Her long curled tresses ran down her back down to her waist where a pair of swords hung off her belt.

"It's been 40 years since you guys died. Of course I've grown old." Though her voice was gruff, she wore a fragile smile on her face as she stared up at them. A pair of old callused fingers rubbed against her tear filled eyes.

"Hahahaha, yeah well sorry about that." A brown haired youth laughed out, as if their death was only a mere inconvenience. Dressed up in an old pilot jacket, with a pair of goggle on his head. Over his back he strapped a large claymore that was almost as long as he was tall. "Well, we're here right now, all together again at last." He stretched a hand "Well come on, let's go, another adventure awaits. It's been too long since we've been on our last one."

She smiled forlornly back up at him but didn't take his hands "I'm old Luka, my Adventure is long over."

"What are you talking about?" he shot her a perplexed look before throwing his arms in the air. "The Adventure is NEVER OVER! As long as we keep on fighting, it will never end. Because even when we have completed this one, what awaits us at our journey's end is merely the start of another!"

"So stop your complaining Griselda and let's GO!" He thrusts his hand out towards her again, "Let's return to our high sea of adventure. The start of our new journey has just begun."

Exasperated laughter escaped her lips, while a far younger Griselda smiled fondly up at the idiot before her. "Still an idiot I see." But still, this time she did not hesitate to reach out and clasped her hand with his.

* * *

><p><em>It was the blade of mankind's most beloved Lord, the greatest of all Kings. The actualization of her ideals and the symbol of her heroism, it was and still is her greatest and most powerful Noble Phantasm. <em>

_To look upon its light is to look upon the Glory that mankind can achieve. And so long as it shines, we shall remember and never forget what we had once achieved, so that we can strive for it again._

As Kiba looked upon the sword, its light bathing his form in a warm gold, his face held a look of utter in incomprehension. "Was that… was that what I wanted to destroy?"

"Live."

He looked down at the scene before him, as the ghost of his old friends laughed with innocent joy and played in the fields of grass, chasing the golden fireflies in some game of tag.

One of them, Lillian, the oldest and big sister of his old group of friends, had walked out of the throng of playing children and approached him. And now as she stood before him, she repeated her words.

"Live," she urged as she smiled kindly at his kneeling form, "Kiba- Live. Please for us, you must live."

He stared dumbly at her, as comprehension dawned on him while tears continued to fall down his face.

"What…what have I been doing?" He asked himself, looking down at his empty palms. "Have I…Have I really been living? Have what I been doing can really be called living?"

* * *

><p>Kokabiel looked on in wonderment at the boy that stood with a sword crafted from the light of the human soul in his hands, a light that he had only seen the like of come from one other individual before.<p>

"You claim to seek the spirt of Man. Then rejoice for you're gazing upon it.

"Here in my very hands, I hold what you have been searching a millennia for." The red-haired boy called out as he looked into the eyes of the Fallen before him. "It was what God saw in us, the very pinnacle of the man's spirit. Now, hear its name-"

He raised the sword over his head and he yelled out,

**"EX-**

It pierced the heavens, clearing the very skies from clouds. The light that shot out of the blade was incomparable to what it was before, unmatched by anything else the Fallen had seen before as it brushed the very end of sky with its light.

And as Kokabiel looked upon it, the nostalgic light that reminded him so much of his father, an old memory from long ago came unbidden.

_"You've taken their form again." A melodically voice echoed through a roofless Hall that exposed itself to the clear blue skies overhead._

_ An inhumanly beautiful man walked from around one of the marble columns that decorated these hallowed halls. He had an ageless appearance though anyone can tell he was young with a single glance. With such clear innocent blue eyes that adorned his face, unknowing of the worst of life's hardships, ones that belong only on the most of guileless of children, assured that._

_"Are they really that interesting?" He asked as he approached a figure of an older man. He sat crossed legged near an edge of pool located in the heart of the hall. "Those humans of yours. Are they really that interesting that you never get bored watching them, Father?"_

_ The elder man gave a clearly exaggerated sigh of exasperation before turning to look at his son. "Kokabiel, how many times must I tell you? When we are alone you're to call me Dad. Really, what did I do to deserve such an overly respectful son?"_

_ The young Kokabiel shook his head in amused as he answered, "Right, right _Dad_. Another one of your human expression that you've picked up?"_

_ Kokabiel walked up to the edge of the pool and looked down at the milling villagers that were reflected upon its surface before he shook his head._

_ "I don't understand, what do you find so fascinating about such beings?" He tilted his head to one side as he squinted down at the reflected image, as if by doing so he'll see something he couldn't before. "Even when you're needed elsewhere, I know that you always leave a part of you behind to watch over them. I've tried to look for what you see in them but I can't find anything remarkable enough for you to give more than a passing interest, let alone all the attention you've given them."_

_ "That because you don't know that to look for." His Father didn't look up from the lake. "Give it time and you'll see, I'm sure of it. And if you give it even more time, one day these little humans that everyone keeps overlooking will outshine even myself. You'll see."_

_"Outshine you? Impossible." He spoke with all the surety of the young._

_ God let loose a small chuckle of laughter, "So naive, sometimes with all your wisdom I forget how young you really are Kokabiel." He held a hand out over the lake, fingers outstretched. "I am only one my son, while they are many. The sun may outshine a candle's flame but gather enough of them together and they will surely outshine the sun."_

_ He lowered his hand, his expression and voice taking an oddly somber tone as he turned to look up to his son that stood dutifully beside him. "Hey, Kokabiel. These little children, they may grow strong one day but right now they're still weak. Until they're fully grown they're bound to get into a lot of trouble. When that happens be sure to watch out for them, ok?" _

_ Kokabiel shrugged, "I don't see why I need to watch over them with you here." But when he looked down to see his Father still looking up to him he smiled._

_ "But sure Dad, I'll watch out for them. I'd have done so even if you hadn't asked." His cheeks flushed red as he blushed and his smile turned oddly embarrassed. "After all, just like me they're your child too. That makes them my little brothers and sisters right?" He thumped a fist to his chest, the wide yet embarrassed smile never leaving his face. "Then as their big brother there is no way I'm ever going to let them get hurt." _

**-CALIBUR!**

The sword descend, sending a colossal beam of light straight at him.

Instead of dodging Kokabiel stared at it, his eyes gleaming with unshed tears. "Can you see them Father? Look at how they shine, brighter than you ever did." His voice almost disbelieving despite himself. Then laughter spilled from his lips.

"You were right!" He laughed with pure unadulterated joy and threw his arms out in welcome as if embracing the approaching light. He yelled out just as it enveloped his form, with tears spilling from his eyes. "Father! You were right!"

And then he was gone.

Disappearing within the light he spent most of his life seeking.

_And_ _at long last the loyal Son returns to his beloved Father's side._

It may have been but a trick of the light, nothing but a wishful illusion. But just for a moment before the light enveloped him it appeared that Kokabiel's raven wings had maybe, just maybe, flickered to the colour of purest white.

* * *

><p>The air above the empty courtyard of the prestigious Kuoh Academy began to distort, twisting as if space was being folded into itself before, with a bright flash of light, the Devils, humans and the small handful of Fallen remaining were dumped into the ground.<p>

Unseen by all, there was one other person that appeared along with them.

Standing on the rooftop from where they were deposited stood a slim-figured grey haired youth. The youth was dressed up in a new and immaculate male Kaou Academy uniform and had a long black hilted _Nodachi_ attached at the waist.

A gust of wind blew over the rooftop causing the long ponytailed grey hair to drift in the wind and shimmer like silver under the moon-light.

"Well…" grey-eyes wide with surprise stared down at the red-haired Devil bellow before they narrowed to thin slits and a wicked smile came over the youth's face. "Wasn't that something?"

On the back of the figure's left arm, a small emerald jewel flashed twice in apparent agreement from where it was embedded in a crimson red gauntlet.

***Story End***

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

First let my just start by thanking all of you so much for your support in the last chapter. I had received 100 reviews in the first **eight hours** of posting that chapter, more than I usually get in a week, and over 250 review in total, which is almost double the highest about of reviews I have ever received from a single chapter, almost all of which were positive, plus 200+ new favourites. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH.

To show you my thanks I worked my ass off writing this chapter even though I'm still in the UK. And dear God it was a dozy to write. When I just finished chapter 10, I want to sleep for a week and cry for a day (not necessarily in that order). Fight scenes are a pain to write, I had two rewrite had this chapter three times and threw away about 5K of words because they ended up crap.

Still, after all the support you guys have given me it was more than worth the effort. There was no way I was going to disappoint anybody and I sincerely hope I didn't.

Now chapter 12 is still due on Sunday as well as a stats page that will explain the NP (or Excaliburs as the case may be) used and Kokabiel's stats.

And the wielder of the Boosted gear has appeared! Have any one of you guys figured out who it is? Let me just say that many of you came incredibly close to guessing what happened to the Boosted Gear and one of you got the answer spot on. Now for the identity of the new wielder I admit I made it unfairly hard because I was sure if I didn't you guys will figure it out right away, but while it's hard I did make it possible to guess who it is. A virtual cookie for whoever does. Oh, and their identity will be reviewed in chapter 13.

So, how did I do? Did you like the fight, when Saber's Excaliburs was pulled out, and most importantly did Kokabiel received the ending he deserved? Please tell me, any and all feed-back and constructive criticism is appreciated.

And remember the new chapter is only two days away, which is also this arc's end and I'm really proud how the chapter turned out. So look forward to it and thank you all for reading.

PS. The UBW has an unusual but subtle effect that it did not have in Canon, and it's due to Shirou's second Origin. Can any of you guess what it is?


	11. Chapter 11:Noble Phantasms and Character

**Author's Notes:**

This page is the NP and character stats page. As usual people who don't like this stuff can skip without consequence. This chapter is rather rough since I didn't have as much time to spend on it as I wish but I plan to go over it soon and fix it up.

* * *

><p>Noble Phantasms and Character Stats<p>

_Name: Excalibur Mimic_

Type: Anti-unit

Rank: D +

One of the seven fragments of this realm's Excalibur.

It has the ability to transform itself into any shape, weapon and material it's wielder desires. Due to this ability no one know it's true form, as even when left alone it will remain in the form it took last* (look bellow in the notes located at the bottom of this entry for more detail).

What is perhaps its most remarkable trait is its ability to completely disregard its mass. It can shrink itself down to the size of a pin or grow as large as refrigerator with ease. However after reaching the mass of 3 cubic meters, it become more difficult for the sword to increase in size but not impossible.

Up till the 3 cubic meter limit, Excalibur Mimic is capable of generating the additional mass under its own power. However afterwards it requires an outside source of Prana. How much more depends entirely on how much more mass is wanted as the amount of Prana needed would continue to increase exponentially.

Theoretically it has no limit but in practice it is impossible even for the most powerful of human magicians to increase its mass to the size of a large Truck.

Shirou is able to overcome this limit by projecting more than one sword, however this comes with a drawback of its own. Excalibur Mimic requires a massive amount of concentration to shape and even Shirou, with his well-disciplined mind, cannot wield more than two of them at the time effectively while moving in combat. Eight of them will require his entire concentration to wield effectively, so much so that he is no longer able to spare any of his mind to process the information his sight is bringing him, effectively leaving him blind.

Shirou is able to work around this problem by using Excalibur Mimic to sense the world around him instead. While he is incapable to see through the Excalibur he is able to sense anything it touches (or more accurately anything that sends vibration down the sword by either blocking its path or bumping into it). He sends thin 'tendrils' into the air to act as a warning system to anything approaching, while sending 'vines' along the floor to look for any enemies standing on the ground around him.

He is able to wield this skill effect thanks to a previous wielder who developed this method in order to fight effectively in the dark (though at a much smaller scale than Shirou). In reality, the wielder would more often than not use this skill to get things from around the house when he is too lazy to get up and do it, rather than combat.

Notes:

* This event had led to one of the most embarrassing scandals in the Church's history. As one of its past wielder's had, unknowingly to the rest of the Church at the time, being using Excalibur Mimic as a dildo. This was discovered after the wielder was found dead in his (Yes, _his_, that wasn't a typo) bedroom, having passed away from a heart attack. As no one except the wielder can alter the shape of the sword they had no choice but to leave it in the form it was found in until a new wielder can be found. It took 12 years for the Church to find a new user, and every time a potential wielder appeared they would be given the _holy _dildo and asked if they felt any connection to it. Keep in mind that most of the candidates were children, some as young as eight at the times, and you can imagine the awkward questions that were raised. Poor Shirou, due to his ability to read a sword's history, knows all of this in intimate detail.

_Name: Excalibur Rapidly_

Type: Anti-unit

Rank: D +

One of the seven fragments of this realm's Excalibur.

It has the ability to greatly boost its wielder's speed, granting even ordinary humans the ability to reach D rank Agility or higher with a skilled enough wielder. However this effect is diminished in the hands of a wielder that's already fast as the sword does not multiply the wielder's speed but adds to it. In the hands of someone possessing a rank of E- Agility will find himself becoming several times faster while in the hands of someone possessing a rank of B Agility may notice his speed only increasing by as little as a tenth of his maximum speed.

Shirou would often use this blade in combination with reinforcement when he wants to draw out every drop of speed he can.

Excalibur Rapidly contains a massive amount of Prana in comparison to its low rank. The reason why it was rank so lowly was due to the fragility of its physical body that was primarily designed to harness the power of the Excalibur fragment instead of acting as a physical weapon, thus leaving it with a frail shell. And it is due to the amount of Prana it and the other Excaliburs can hold that make them so destructive when 'broken' in comparison to their rank.

It is also the potentially most likely of all the Excalibur fragments to shatter. This is due to the increase of momentum in the swing of its wielders cause but the increase in speed it grants, however this does not lead to an increase in the sword's durability making it more susceptible to damage.

Please not that using multiple version of this sword does not increase the wielder's speed as the effect does not stack.

_Name: Excalibur – The Sword of Promised Victory_

Type: Anti-Fortress

Rank: A++

To all those who lays upon this sword, rejoice for you had witness '_Glory'. _Few can look upon its beauty and not be changed.

The strongest and most majestic of all Holy Swords that symbolizes King Arthur, the pinnacle of Holy Swords. Excalibur was not forged by mankind but crystallized within the Earth, using the wishes of mankind as the basis.

Excalibur converts the Mana of the wielder into light, and as the word is swung, the light is released from the tip of the blade like a laser beam and destroys everything in its path. Of course, the Mana consumption is extreme and even for Shirou with his inhuman amount of Prana supply it cannot be fired consecutively. The beam fired is so powerful that there exists almost nothing that can withstand the full blast of the sword and survive.

Shirou is reluctant to ever summon Excalibur outside of his Reality Marble. Not only is the Prana cost of Projecting and activating the sword much higher outside of his Reality Marble, in addition to the destructive nature of the sword that would almost guarantee a catastrophic amount collateral damage, but the sword would also be an imperfect copy.

For a Sword too beautiful to be called merely beautiful to create an imperfect copy, no matter how small the flaw, is something abhorrent to him. As unwilling as he is to see its beauty marred in any way, in addition to the other complications, he would only summon the sword outside of his Reality Marble in the most desperate of circumstances.

Since it is a Holy Sword not constructed by the hands of a God, it does not share the same characteristics that other Holy Swords that do. In this universe, 'Holy' is in an artificial element, one that does not exist in nature but must be created by Divine beings. Thus Holy would often reflect the will of the God that created it. That is why Holy Swords created by God is so deadly towards Devils, his rejection of them is reflected in the swords power.

To properly wield Excalibur, Shirou needs to be able to use both his hands. If one of is his hands is unable to function, or he is too physically weakened the bare the strain of the sword, Shirou cannot use the sword without risking losing control of it.

* * *

><p>Sword Classification:<p>

Holy Swords:

Please see previous entry for details (Devil's guidebook 3)

Light Swords:

Swords crafted from the element of 'Light' itself. Unlike Holy Swords, Light swords can be crafted by mankind and often is. It is the preferred weapon of choice for the servants of the Church as they are extremely effective against Devils (though nowhere near as potent as Holy Swords) and other creatures of darkness such as Vampires. What make these swords incredibly popular is the capacity for anyone to wield them.

Light Swords should not be mixed up with Holy Swords, as they are two completely different things. While it is possible for a Sword to contain both Holy and Light power, as the two elements are highly compatible with each other, they are not one and the same.

Weapons that contain both Holy and Light elements are perhaps the most deadly weapon in existence for Devils, such as Spear of Lights created by Angels, and is one of primary contributing reason why Heaven is still in equal standing with Hell despite the Devil's growing numbers and the existence of two Super-Devils.

Divine Swords:

The weapon of the Gods themselves.

Divine Swords are blades crafted by the hands of Divine beings and are meant to be wielded by them. Often a God or Divine entity will keep a portion of their own powers in the heart of these weapons, empowering them. Each of these weapons have the potential to wound or even kill Gods, as that is their primary purpose. They are swords made to be wielded by God to kill other Gods.

Divine Swords are however never meant to be wielded by human hands.

This is made especial clear simply by looking at them. Some are so large that they tower over even the tallest of buildings and weigh just as much, while other are crafted from living flames and burn as hot as the molten heart of the earth. Many warriors have died simply looking upon some of these blades let alone trying to wield them.

However there are exceptions to this rule. A rare few of these blades can be wielded by humans such as the _Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi_ or as it is better known as Kusanagi, the Grass-Cutting sword.

Demonic Swords:

Swords crafted by Demon-Kind and infused with their essence (for more information on what qualifies as 'Demon', please look up Demons Races in upcoming chapters)

Out of all of the swords these are the hardest to define as they vary so greatly in nature. Demonic Swords take on the characteristics of the power used to forge them, which is often the same as the race the crafted them.

For example Devil made Demonic Swords are often far stronger than ordinary swords, even magical ones, and are much sharper making them incredibly destructive by nature. They also can hold an additional element as well, such a Fire or Wind Demonic Swords (several of the swords crafted by the Sacred Gear Sword Birth is an example of this). However like Devils they are weak against and become less effective when match against Holy or Light Swords.

Demonic Swords crafted by Yokai races are often tied into to Youjustu and can either help cast spells of such nature or empower them. There are several of such swords that enable their users to cast illusions in combat.

However be warned, that using Demonic Swords will always require a sacrifice of some sort. It can at times be rather simple, such as fire based Demonic Swords needing to be fed the flames from a fire whenever their true power are to be used or even how the edge of some swords must taste freshly spilled blood before they can be sheathed (this can be circumvented by the wielder pricking their own thump at the tip of the sword).

Other swords however require a sacrifice of a far darker nature.

Be wary if you should ever find yourselves with a Demonic Blade that requires no sacrifice, don't let yourselves be fooled. There is always a price, and you will pay it every time you wield such a blade whether you are aware of it or not.

* * *

><p>Name: Kokabiel<p>

Master: God Almighty

Official Rank: A Lord of Grigori – Twelve-wings

Race: Fallen Angel

Strength: B

Endurance: B

Agility: B

Mana: B

Luck: D++

Scared Gear/ Ability/ Weapon: Spears of Light **A**

Racial skill:

**-Fallen Angel**:

As a Fallen Angel, all basic and advance abilities of a Fallen Angel are available to him.

Personal Skills:

Ascension: **A**

To gain a new pair of wings, Angels (Fallen or not) need to increase all of the base parameters to match that's of Angels who were born with that number of wings. Increasing one parameter, not matter how much, is simply not enough for an Angel to Ascend.

Kokabiel, born with ten-wings, has ascended to the highest possible form an Angel could become, a twelve-winged Angel.

To do so was no easy task, as for him to ascend he need to raise all of his parameters of Strength, Agility, Endurance and Mana to the Rank of B. It was only after he spent 800 years constantly training did he succeed in doing so, becoming one of only two Angels that have not been born as twelve-winged Angels to Ascend to such a rank.

Charisma: **A**

Beloved by friends and enemies alike. Such is his charisma that enemies that he had fought and attempt to kill several times in the past are still willing to greet him with open arms and call him a friend. There have been several occasions where in their first meeting Kokabiel was able to gain the loyalty of complete strangers to follow and fight alongside him.

Kokabiel had been able to lead a Legion of 35,000 Angels to willingly Fall in service of their God. Even after of his death there are several remaining fallen who are still obeying his final commands. This has granted him the Rank A in Charisma.

Charisma is the natural talent to command an army. Increases the ability of allies during group battle. A rare talent that is said that a rank of B in this skill is sufficient to lead a nation as its King.

Soul of a Martyr: **EX**

Such was his devotion to God and his cause that it caused him to Fall from Heaven. Ordinarily Angels can only Fall when they succumb to the darkness or betray God but Kokabiel was an exception. Kokabiel's desire to fulfil God's will as humanity's protector has surpassed God's system and he had succeed in forcing himself to fall. This has granted him the Rank of Ex due to the system that governs the world no longer able to accurate assess it.

Soul of a Martyr is the mental protection that negates mental protection that negates mental interference. When it came to fulfilling the will of his God, death held no sway over Kokabiel. Not even the risk of never returning to Heaven after his Fallen could deter him.

* * *

><p>Name: Asia Argento<p>

Class: Bishop

Master: Emiya Shirou

Official Rank: Low-Class Devil

Race: Devil / Human

Strength: E- ~ ?

Endurance: E- ~ ?

Agility: E ~ ?

Mana: D++

Luck: D

Scared Gear/ Ability/ Weapon: Twilight Healing **A**

Racial skill:

**-Devil skill**:

As a Reincarnated Devil, all basic abilities of a Devil are available to her.

Personal Skills:

Curiously Killed the Asia: **B**

Entrapped by physically walls of the church and the immaterial but no less real chains of her role as a Holy Maiden, Asia was denied the world. Forced to only witness many of its wonders through the window of her room or learn of it from the pages of a book, she has always longed to experience the world outside. Only from afar, always watching never experiencing, that is the only way she was permitted to know of it.

But not anymore, for at long last Asia is unbound and free. And she fully intends to take full advantage of it. She has a full world of wonders to explore and nothing is going to stop her. Not even common sense or survival instinct.

At this Rank, Asia's curiosity would compel to explore anything, try everything and nothing but immediate physical harm would deter her.

Expect to find her exploring every new corner, taste every new food and drink, play around with any unknown electronics, and start conversations with complete strangers. Do not be surprised to find her leaping head first at the chance to experience or explore whatever novel thing that happened to catch her interest.

As Shirou has discovered, leaving Asia unsupervised for long is a bad idea as she will be unable to resist poking her nose into anything she can find no matter how much common sense would tell her not to. Even leaving her at home will not guarantee her safety.

This would often lead her to suffer painful consequences as not everything that she tries will end up as an enjoyable or even benevolent experience. Through all the mishaps her tiny adventures may cause there is one thing that becomes painfully clear to anyone watching her.

Asia is happy, unbelievable so. To her the greatest treasure, her most sought after wish has finally been granted. To be able to explore this wonderful, hideous yet beautiful world fills her with such joy that no matter what happens, even should she die today she would now be able look back at her life and say with a smile: 'That was a life worth living.'

Greed (personal Sin): **C-**

Despite knowing that she can saves thousands of more lives if she had decided to remain at the Church as a Holy Maiden, Asia chose to leave instead in pursuit of her own freedom and happiness.

The largest effect of this Sin is where in the past Asia would put the betterment of other people above her own needs no matter what the cost. That is no longer the case. While she is still more than willing to go out of her way to help others, she is no longer willing to do so if it meant that she would have surrender so much as a drop of her freedom.

Her Greed is her freedom, to choose and explore, and she will never willingly give that up ever again not matter the cost. While she is more than willing to follow Shirou's orders that is only because her trust in him and because she chooses to follow him out of her own free will.

A warning to all that plan to face her greed, that beneath all of her kindness, there lies something unbelievably frightening. The brighter the light the darker that shadow has never been more apt than with Asia.

Healing magic and medical knowledge: **B+**

Despite being the wielder of Twilight Healing, or more precisely because she is the wielder, Asia knows a massive amount of medial knowledge, both of the mundane and magical variety. More than enough for to be qualified as a Doctor despite her age.

Combined with Twilight Healing she is able to heal almost all wounds and illnesses at a remarkable speed. This includes regeneration of organs and limbs, though it would take her a considerably longer time to do so. The only limit to her healing is that she must understand both the injury/illness and what the original healthy state her patient's body is supposed to be.

Her healing capabilities are more effect with someone who she has treated before as familiarity with the patient makes it easier for her to heal them. When Twilight Healing is used on members of either the Peerage she is part of or her own Peerage it becomes far more effective. Partly in due to the similar magic flowing through all of them, and in part due to the familiarity that naturally comes with spending time around them (Asia, despite how she may act at time, is extremely observant of her surroundings).

What makes Asia, along with other wielders of Twilight Healings, unique is their ability to completely bypass any magic resistance when healing. In most cases, a Devil's (or other magical beings) resistance will block out any and all types of magic including healings spells. The stronger the patient's magic the stronger their resistance becomes, making it incredibly difficult for powerful Devils to be healed by conventional means. However with the power of the Twilight Healings Asia does not face this problem making her, and other like her, highly sought after.

Understanding: **A-**

A peculiar gift rarely ever seen only outside the wielders of Twilight Healings, and even them almost never this strongly.

While this can develop in many different forms Asia's is especially good at understanding people. Unlike empathy, which is the understanding of a person emotions, this is akin to understanding a person's very natural. At this rank Asia can get a deep insight to a person by merely interacting or observing them for a few minutes.

The only real limit of this ability is that whatever it is Asia is trying to understand must be possible to be comprehended by a human or a Devil's mind. Things that are either utterly alien in nature or too complex to be comprehended by mortal minds are impossible for her to understand.

However this also mean that Asia has been exposed to the darker side of human nature at a very early age, leading to the loss of the nativity most people her age would have.

Biblical Knowledge: B

Raised in Catholic Orphanage then taken and spent most of her life in the Vatican, Asia had access to a large amount of religious and biblical information. This in combination with her own personal desire to search for God had led her to read and retain a large amount of Biblical Knowledge.

She has attained a Rank B which makes her as knowledge if not more so than the people of the cloth. She is also skilled in theology and any kind of religious debates in general, and unlike many other she is open to unorthodox approach to religion and ideas that are general not accept by the more conservative priests.

**Status effect**:

Mutating Body: N/A

A completely new phenomenon that has never been witness the like of in Reincarnated Devils before, completely unique to Asia. Almost nothing about this effect is known nor understood. What little is known is that Asia's physical body is changing drastically and is already showing signs of affecting her physical capabilities.

Only time will tell what this will lead to and whether the changes are beneficial or harmful.

* * *

><p>Skill ranking for mundane skills:<p>

E: working knowledge – Someone who can use this skill but only at a basic level.

D: intermediate Level – while they are skilled in this field but not good enough to properly teach anyone.

C: Expert – Skilled enough to be a professional or to act as an instructor.

The C Rank is the highest rank an average human can obtain no matter how hard they try. To proceed past this rank one needs either a large amount of natural talent, dedicate their lives to this skill or need assistance of a magical nature to reach B Rank.

B: Mastery – At this rank you are among the best in the world at this skill. Only a handful of people can surpass you.

A: The skill is completely mastered. It is no longer possible to gain any signify better. Among the best if not only among the living but in history.


	12. Chapter 12: Watch Them Grow

_Watch Them Grow_

It was as I was making my way to the kitchen that I was halted in my tracks as a loud thumping noise rang throughout the house. I turned to look over my shoulder at the front door as it shook on its hinges from the force from whoever was enthusiastically knocking on it.

As I continued to look at the vibrating door I seriously contemplated simply ignoring whoever was there. I knew, just knew it was trouble. I could feel it in my bones. The very same instincts that I've honed over the course of living with Serafall and her never ending pranks and peculiar brand of madness were screaming at me not to open the door, to just ignore it and carry on to the kitchen and make myself a nice relaxing breakfast.

It was still early in the morning, barely past seven and only a few hours since the end of the battle with Kokabiel and his Fallen at Kaou Academy. And wasn't that a mess? While the school wasn't too badly damage it had suffered enough that Sona had to shut the Academy down for the day and had already summoned Devil contractors to quickly repair the damage.

Not to mention the hours I and the others had to spend on convincing Serafall and Sirzechs not to come charging into the city while having an army at their backs. Surprisingly it was Sirzechs that was persuaded first, trusting my words that their sisters was safe and helped us convinced Serafall who was far more riled up than I had seen her before. Her face was a mask of rage and fury that could not hide the utter terror that she felt at the realization how close she came to losing me and her sister.

However they did send some Devil to do some damage control on the rest of the citizens of the city. They had a lot of memories to erase if they wanted to keep the presence of the supernatural world contained. Truthfully I doubt they'd completely succeed, too many people had seen the fight even if they had not understood what they were seeing. I had a feeling that rumors of stars falling down from the sky will soon become an urban legend of this city.

I'm convinced that the only reason why the secret of the supernatural world hasn't been fully exposed by now was thanks to Ajuka Beelzebub. In the modern world of cameras and internet there was no way they would have kept the existence of Devils and Angels under wraps and they only barely succeeded in doing so was due to a little invention of his.

I couldn't begin to explain how it worked but from what little I understood he had somehow created a living and sentient computer virus and had it invade the internet. It searches for and destroys any incriminating evidence of the supernatural world it finds there before tracing the source of the data and informing a squad of Devils about the leak. I was sure it was much more complicated than that but that was the gist of what I understood.

The Devils that were sent to wipe memories would also remain to replace the lost guards. It seemed that when then the Fallen army came charging into the city they intended to ignore the small handful of Devils guarding the city that were there, as even with their bolstered numbers they were posed no real threat to them not as outnumbered as they were. Unfortunately that was only so long as they were unprovoked.

The Fallen ran into one of the patrolling teams of Devils from where they decided to enter the city, the Devils numbering only a dozen strong. The squad leader decided to let them pass unobstructed for now before they attempt to contact the Underworld for emergency support.

Unfortunately one of the guards, an eager newly recruited Devil by the name of Leeroy Jenkins, decided to ignore the order and charge the Fallen swarm while screaming out his name like a battle cry of the Gods themselves. Which predictably resulted in the death of most of his squad when the Fallen retaliated with a barrage of spears.

The single guard who had been spared simply survived because the Fallen didn't seem to care whether he and the other Devils guards lived or died. And before he could even do anything the barrier came up and sealed them inside of the city.

The only upside of the entire mess was Asia. I had quickly summoned her when I realized how injured everyone was. And while they weren't back to full strength, with a good night's rest or two they will be. Surprisingly, or maybe not considering it's her, she even patched up the four Fallen who somehow managed to survive, albeit they were badly injured.

They bore her healing them with utter silence as they continued to stare wide-eyed at me before giving her a nod of thanks when they were recovered and took off into the air without another word.

I decided to let them go seeing as I had no reason to stop them. With so many witnesses in both the Devil and Church Factions there was no way I could completely repress the information about my combat skills. And a healthy reputation can be just as useful as a hidden trump card at times.

Another stream of knocking jolted me from my thoughts, and with a heavy sigh I reluctantly approached the door. Might as well get it over with, knowing my luck if I ignore it things will only get worse.

Unlocking the door, I swung it open to find myself looking at…nothing apparently?

"My Lord!" A voice filled with excitement called out and I looked down to find the blue-haired exorcist, Xenovia I believe her name was, kneeling down on one knee while keeping her head respectfully lowered. "My Lord, I have come to serve-"

The rest of her statement was cut off as I slammed door in her face and turned around to head back to my kitchen. I knew I should have gotten some sleep last night, I was beginning to hallucinate.

Unfortunately for my attempt at denial of reality, the enthusiastic banging on the door resumed before I managed to take as much as two steps away. I just palmed my face in both my hands as I tried to stave away the upcoming headache I knew will result from this new mess. It's too damn early in the morning to deal with crap like this.

Spinning in place, knowing that there was no avoiding this, I approached the door with the gait of man walking to his doom and swung it open again to find Xenovia still kneeling on the ground but this time she was looking up at with a single finger held up before her face.

"My lord, it's rude to interrupt people when they're talking. Doubly so when they're trying to swear eternal loyalty and servitude to you." Though the words were reproachful the tone she spoke them with was still filled with respect. "Now as I was saying," she lowered her head again, "I have come to serve you my Lord. Please accept me into your household."

I just started dumbly down at where the exorcist was kneeling with her head down by my feet before I palmed my face again. There was so much crazy in that statement that I was sure it would have had Serafall herself dumbfounded.

"You know what?" I stepped back to one side and wave her in. "Come on in. If I have to deal with all of this crap this early in the morning I wanted to do it after breakfast. Maybe with a full stomach and a large cup of coffee in me the world will start making sense again."

A small sarcastic part of my mind, which sounded oddly like Archer, helpfully pointed out that the world hasn't been making any sense for a long time.

* * *

><p>"So let me get this straight," flipping a pancake into the air as I spoke, "you left the Church because you see no reason to continue serving them with God dead. And now you want to serve me as one of my knights because you think I'm King Arthur?"<p>

"Not think. Know." Her eyes gleamed with such conviction that it would have made even the most self-assured people doubt themselves. Unfortunately for her, she would have made a far more convincing image if her cheeks weren't smeared with maple syrup and if her mouth wasn't filled to the brim with so much pancakes that it caused her cheeks to puff out like chipmunks. As it was the words came out so muffled out that I barely understood her.

At first she refused to eat, saying something about how it wasn't right for a mere servant to dine with her Lord, let alone eat food cooked by his hands. But after much prodding and eventually outright ordering her to, she finally complied.

And now I watched as she sat at my kitchen table devouring a stack of pancakes in a manner that would have made starving wolves proud. Apparently they didn't feed them that well at the Church, or at least their choice of focused on the more nutrition variety rather than taste. Then again it could simply be that my cooking is just that awesome.

I shook my head at the sight before I turn my attention back to the pancakes I was cooking. "And why do you think I'm King Arthur?" I asked.

I could hear her swallow before answering. "Who else but you could possibly wield such a blade as Excalibur?"

"You for one." I pointed out as I flipped the finished pancakes on a plate before I started another batch, splitting my attention between her and my cooking. "Your two friends for another."

"Fakes." She waved away dismissingly. "You yourself called them mere toys and were angered at us for daring to name them Excalibur." She took another bite from here pancake, occasionally muttering 'Holy Mother of Jesus this is good' as she did so, before nodding to herself. "I can now understand your disdain for them my Lord. Such mockeries have no right to be called by the same name as your sword."

I resisted the urge to sigh as I carried on, "And even though I have told you, repeatedly I might add, that I'm _not_ King Arthur you don't believe me."

She finished her current mouthful before speaking. "Your confusion is understandable. After all it has been a millennium and a half since you have been put to rest after being wounded at the battle of Camlann. It is only natural for my Lord to be somewhat confused after having slept for that long."

"Ah, but do not worry my Lord." She continued, misinterpreting the cause for the distress on my face, "I'm certain your memory will return with time. And even if it does not, I shall continue to serve you faithfully." She saluted by banging her fisted over her chest, and if she wasn't holding a fork tipped with a piece of pancake on it at the time she would have looked rather chivalrous.

Going on nothing but pure desperation, even though it was becoming apparently clear that nothing I was going to say would get through to her, I argued, "Then if I was truly the King who pulled the sword from the stone, wouldn't I have Caliburn as well?"

She tilted her head at me, "And don't you?"

"Of course I do." I answered back without thinking, the pride in my swords shining through- the spatula slammed into my face as I attempted to face-palmed, forgetting that I still held it in my hands. You know, this would hurt a whole lot more if I didn't have my Queen's defense.

"My Lord!" Xenovia cheered out at the revelation, her eyes twinkling like stars.

I felt my patience with the entire situation reach its breaking point and I yelled out as my frustration got the better of me, "I came from another world!" before slapping a hand over my mouth, realizing the stupidity of my mistake as soon as I said it.

To my utter bewilderment instead of looking at me as if I was insane or even surprised at all, she simply nodded instead as if she knew all along. "I know my Lord," She confirmed, "you hail from the land of fair Avalon, the domain of the fairies, where you recovered from your wounds."

My mouth hung open like an idiot as I continued to gape at her ability to twist anything I say to fit her world view.

"This would also explain your lack of a past." She carried on speaking, although more to herself than to me. "When you first appeared and the Church learned of your existence, they committed a not inconsiderable amount of resources in an attempt to discover everything about you, but they failed. However if you were in Avalon this entire time it would make sense why no one could discover your past, not when you were in an entirely different world."

It was incredible how close to the truth she could get yet still be oh so very _very _wrong.

"But now," She held a fist in front of her, fork still clasped within it, eyes shining with excitement, "you have returned. Just as the legends said you would, to guide your people in our greatest hour of need."

She was so overcome with excitement that she was practically vibrating in her seat before, no longer able to contain herself, threw her arms up into the air with another exclamation of 'My Lord', before she leapt out of the chair and knelt at the ground.

"Please, grant me the honor of serving under you." She pleaded with her head lowered reverently to the ground.

It was a good thing that she was looking down towards the ground rather than at me or else she would have witness her precious 'Lord' repeatedly bashing his head onto the wall.

"You know what?" I threw my hands up in surrender before turning back to the stove. "Fine, I give up, you win. You can join me."

"Thank you my Lord-"

I cut her off before she could finish, "And stop calling me 'my Lord' all the time."

"Yes, my King!" She immediately complied without actually doing so. Why do I have a feeling that this will be a common occurrence from now on? "I promise you, you'll not regret your decision." Her expression did a one-eighty then as her excited smile disappeared from her face only to be replaced by a troubled expression.

"However my King." Her voice was filled with trepidation as she spoke. "I regret to inform you that I no longer have the Durandal." I turned to look at her at that but she looked away, unwilling to meet my eyes. "I gave it to Griselda to take back to the Church. Chosen wielder or not, they would never let me keep it. Not without a fight, so I thought it best to avoid any trouble by handing it back now rather than waiting for the Church to send someone to forcefully retrieve it." She shrugged, "The Church has always been rather zealous in their insistence on always having all of God's Holy Swords under their control."

"Still," She quickly added, turning her eyes back to me as a small hint of panic entered her voice, "there is no need worry. Even without Durandal, I'll be sure to be of use to you my King. I promise."

"It's fine," I reassured her, "it doesn't matter to me whether you have the sword or not." And it didn't. I could simply project a copy for her whenever I wanted to. Though going by the expression of surprise and relief on her face, she didn't seem to think of it as unimportant as I did.

I didn't understand why she was making such a big deal out of it. It wasn't like she would still be able to wield the sword as a Devil. Other than me, I don't think it was possible for and Devil to wield a Holy weapon. Speaking of which.

"Are you willing to become a Devil?" I asked her with all the gravity the situation deserved, "If your serious about following me, then the only way you can realistically do so I by becoming a Devil. Are you still willing to follow me even if it means giving up your humanity to do so?" Giving her one last time to back out.

She did not hesitate.

"So long as you lead the way," her expression solemn, resolved. "I'd willingly follow you to Hell itself my King."

I looked at her, and I mean really looked, as I wondered where the sudden devotion came from. Then something clicked in my head as the pieces came together and I understood. She had nowhere else to go, did she?

With God gone, the purpose that she dedicated her entire life for was gone as well. It's not that she had no place to go to, I'm sure the Church will have no problem taking her back, it's that she had nothing to live for.

This girl, she was born in the wrong age wasn't she? She was the type who needed a cause to fight for, a just King to serve under. She needed a purpose in her life other than simply living, something to give her life meaning. That is why she dedicated her life to the Church so fiercely, and why she was so ready to dedicate herself to me even though the last master she served betrayed her.

Like the boy who dreamt of becoming a Hero this girl dreamt of becoming a knight.

And who was I to refuse her?

"Very well." I put down my cooking utensils and took the frying pan out of the fire before reaching a hand out into the air. A small magic circle that held the Sitri crest at the heart of its design appeared over my hand before disappearing after depositing a knight chess piece onto my palm.

I walked over to where she was still kneeing before I knelt down myself in front of her and held the chess piece to her chest, over her heart.

"To become my sword is no easy task, yet do you still swear to become it? To take my cause up as your own, to fight my enemies as you would your own? To follow me down the path that I walk, though it is filled with nothing but hardships and the only thing that may awaits us is our deaths, yet will you swear to willingly follow me down that road for no reason than I deem it _Just_?"

The words, while formal, did not truly matter so long as they spoke the truth. The bond cannot be forged properly with lies, deceit will do nothing but make the bond that binds us fragile.

Golden eyes peered back into eyes equally gold as she intoned, "So I do swear, my King."

The world around us erupted under a crimson light as the Knight piece floated out of my grasp and into her chest, which rippled like water as it accepted my piece.

"Then bare my name as your own and become my Knight. And just as my causes became your own, yours shall become mine in turn, your enemies I shall take on as my own. Now come, be reborn into this world as the sword that shall strike down the enemies that dare bar my path! Become the blade that cuts the chains that try to bind me! So that at last we may stand victorious under the blue skies of the coming _Dawn_."

With the final words slipping clear from my mouth the crimson light disappeared as the ceremony was complete.

And like that, in the middle of my kitchen with her face covered in maple syrup and fork in hand, Xenovia became the first Knight of Emiya Shirou. My Knight.

After a moment of silence as we took everything in, I rose to my feet and wiped my knees, "Well, now that done," I looked up towards the ceiling, "it's time to deal with you guys."

They hung like bats off the ceiling of my Kitchen, crouching upside down yet somehow managing to hang off the ceiling with nothing but the flat of their feet making contact with it. It was as if gravity had no effect on them.

Despite their size they still managed to appear inconspicuous, blending into the surrounding of the kitchen like they belonged there. How was that possible I did not know, but they somehow managed to pull it off.

"I swear are you guys like Ninja Fallen or something?" I asked as I stared up at the four of them.

The one who I mentally dubbed the leader of the group, for no other reason than he stood out in front while the other three lined up behind him, stared back at me with startling blue eyes before he slow raise a fist before his masked face, extend the index and middle finger straight out before solemnly intoning with one of the most serious tone of voice I had ever head, "Nin-nin."

The other three Fallen turned to look at one another before shrugging. The looked down at me, and just like the first, they raised they hands before their faces set in a ninja hand seal I had seen once, before they too intoned as one, "Nin-nin."

…Serafall is going to love these guys. I can tell.

I just shook my head at their unexpected antics. Really? Who would have guessed that Ninja Fallen apparently have a sense of humor?

"Ok, seriously." I looked back up at their leader as I spoke. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Orders." The leader answered. "Kokabiel-sama's final commands were should he fall, we are to protect you and thus safeguard humanity's future."

"Even if that means becoming Devils yourselves?" Even with their stealth abilities, there is no way they can follow me down to the Underworld and remain undiscovered. Not for long anyway.

A shrug was my response. "We already fell from Heaven to complete our duty. What is descending to Hell compared to that? At least it will be warm down there."

I stared up to them, and was stared back in turn by four pairs of eyes ranging from sky blue to forest green. Not one of them looked away or even reluctant.

What is with these Fallen Angels and why did they all have to be so damn likable?

"Very well," I sighed out and scratched the back of my head, "if you're so determined I won't try to dissuade you." I'm probably the worst person to try to talk people out of following suicidal ideals after all.

"Well, now _that's_ done. It's time to deal with you." I turned to look at the final occupant on the ceiling. "Gasper, what are you doing?"

There hanging upside down from the ceiling next to the Fallen, like the bat that he was still dressed up as, was Gasper.

"Hanging out." And I swear he was being utterly serious as he said that. I decided not to comment on it as there was something far more unsettling I had to deal with.

I pointed up to him and asked, "And what are you wearing?"

"A Bat-Girl costume." He answered as used a hand to hold down his short skirt and by doing so prevented the rest of us from being traumatized for life by flashing us.

"Why?" Somehow knowing I wasn't going to be satisfied with his answer.

"It's cute." He chirped, sounding oddly happy for some reason.

At that moment I seriously considered praying to God for help for the first time in my life, but then I realized that God was dead and I was on my own. Deciding to take the tried and true method of ignoring everything I turned back to the stove and began cooking a large enough breakfast to feed the lot of us.

And that was how I used up all my pawn pieces and found myself with four new Pawns in addition to a Knight in my Peerage.

* * *

><p>Pulling open the window of the second floor hallway, I carefully stepped out onto the ledge before reaching out and griping the edge of the rooftop. Taking a moment to insure I had a secure hold, I hoisted my up and over onto the roof. Making sure I made plenty of noise as I did so, so that she may hear me coming.<p>

Treading lightly, I climbed up to the peak of the roof, watching were I set my foot down so I did not damage the any of the tiles.

Once I reached the ridge, I took a moment to make sure my footing was secure as I wouldn't want lose my balance and fall tumbling down no matter how unlikely that was to harm me, before I turned to around to face her.

She was squatting down at the end of the ridge, resting her arms on her knees as she stared out at the sunrise. She didn't bother to turn to face me, so all I could see was her back as she stared out onto the horizon.

I waited, there was no need of me to say anything, and sometimes just being there is enough. I had been hoping she'd come, waiting for it actually. That's how I was able to sense her the moment she arrived. How she simply waited here, as if she knew I would be coming after her. She was right, I was willing to go much farther than this if it meant helping her.

It was not for Kokabiel's sake alone that I revealed Excalibur. There was one other person I needed to save that day.

The wind pulled on my hair as I watched over her. She was dressed in that same school uniform that she wore for the fight, though undamaged somehow. Her white hair drifted behind her on the steady breeze.

"Once there were two sisters." She began, speaking in her usual monotone voice, her eyes never leaving the sun. "They were as different as can be. One as black as the night, the other as white as snow. Yet despite their differences they loved each other, more than anything else in the world.

"Though they were poor, they were happy. In this world full of treasures, the only treasure either of them ever wanted was each other. And that was how they always wanted it to be. Even if they had no gold, even if there was never enough food, so long as the two had each other they were happy.

"That is why they promised to never leave one another, that no matter what life threw at them, they would always be together.

"But one day things began to change. The big sister found a job. Now the two sisters finally had a house to live in. They no longer had to steal or beg for food, they could buy their own. They had more food, better clothing and a nice warm place to sleep.

"But they were not necessarily happier.

"The big sister had to spend a lot of time working, and had less time to spend with the younger one. And whenever she returned from work, she was always very tired and couldn't play with the little sister as much as the younger one wanted to.

"But still, even though she was busier now, they were still happy. For at least they always had each other.

"Until they did not.

"One day the younger sister woke to find her elder gone. She kept asking everyone 'where was she, where was she', but no one answered her. Even after she was taken away, imprisoned all she could ask 'where are you? Where did you go?', and still no one answered her.

"But as time passed, the amount of times she would ask would drop, until one day she stopped asking all together. By then they didn't need to answer her. She had begun to realize the truth.

"That her beloved sister had abandoned her.

"'Why', that's what she kept asking herself during those hellish days. 'Why?' Did she get tired of looking after her? Did she get sick of working so hard for the two of them when she didn't have to? Did she…did she no longer love her? But in the end it did not matter why, for she understood…

"That for all their promises, for all the times they've been there for each other, the older sister left her younger one without so much as a goodbye.

"And now for the first time since the day she was born, the little sister was alone in the world-"

Her voice hitched towards the end, breaking, leaving her unable to finish speaking.

Silence returned again, this time broken up occasional sniffling. I didn't say anything, didn't ask if she was alright when she so clearly wasn't. I just stood there, simply waited there for her. That was all I could do.

When she began to speaking her voice was no longer the emotionless monotone that she usually spoke in. It was faint, but for the first time I could hear true emotion held in it.

"For a…for a very long time I thought my sister had stopped loving me." She turned her eyes up to the sky, "But there is no way that can be true, can it? After all," she raised a hand up to the sky, fingers stretch out as if could touch it. "Look. The sun, it's still there isn't it? It hasn't burn out. And the stars still shine at night, they haven't gone away. Then …

"There is no way that can be true,

"For as long as they burn she will always love me. Until the day they extinguish she will continue to do so and forever after, outlasting the sun and stars themselves."

From beneath her skirt a long white tail appeared, along with a matching pair of white colored cat ears on her head. When she turned around, the face I saw was filled with neither courage nor determination. It was broken hearted thing, filled with soul-searing pain and sadness. Yet still,

Still,

She carried on.

Despite her fears, in spite of her pain, she called out her name loud and clear.

If that was not courage, I did not know what is.

"My name is Shirone." Her eyes shone with unshed tears and her bangs continued to drift in the air in front of her, pulled by the wind. "It means 'white sound' and it… and it was the first gift my sister had ever given me. The first gift anyone had ever given me."

And despite how sad she looked I could not help but feel a glimmer of joy. At long last, her walls were beginning to tumble down and finally she has stopped hiding. She was allowing herself to feel again.

"I am Shirone, the little sister of the black cat Kuroka. And…and…"One of her ears was weakly raised while the other laid half way down to her head as she spoke, but now they both fell flat against her head as she continued, ".…and I miss her. So so very much. Despite everything she's done she's still my sister and I love her so. With every beat of my heart."

Tears fell freely down form her eyes now, not even trying to hold them back any longer. She looked back at the horizon again, and for a while no one said anything the silence only broken by the sound of the wind, until she decided to speak up again.

"Neh- Shirou. The sun and the stars, they're still shining. They haven't extinguished yet, have they?" She asked, so quietly that I could barely hear her. "So that means that she still loves me…right?"

I turned to look towards the horizon. "Yeah," I nodded, "they're still shining."

"…that's good."

_And so the hurt, lonely kitten finally gathers up its courage and leaves its box to face the world._

* * *

><p><em>Sometimes, there are no villains to fight. <em>

_No monsters to kill._

_Sometimes the thing that's hurting you comes from inside of you._

_Sometime the monster only lives in you._

It shone in the darkness, as if it were a splinter of light.

Steel-greys eyes examined the blade carefully. He held it high before him, slowly spinning it left then right in his left hand, as his eyes trailed over inch of the sword. Looking for flaws or imperfection that simply wasn't there.

"A sword of light." No one was there in the woods with him but if there were, they would have heard the shocked disbelief that filled it.

From his soul which could only forge tainted swords, where he was sure that nothing else could be born, for the first time it forged a sword crafted from the purest of lights. Untainted, unspoiled, it was sword as clean as rays of a morning sun.

"It was that simple." He lowered the sword while he stared blankly at the trees ahead, lost in his own thoughts. "It was always there, this power was always there." He looked down at his empty right hand. "I always could have done this."

He continued to stare down at his empty hand for a time, before he raised his head and clenched his hand into a fist. He held the sword up before him, and after taking a moment to examine the blade one final time, he flipped it before thrusting the sword down, deep into the ground before him.

Releasing the hilt, he took a step back and examined his work. The sword was planted tip first, like a grave stone protruding from the earth, shining so brightly it was if it stood beneath the light of the sun rather than in a dark clearing within the Kuoh Academy's woods.

Crossing his legs he dropped to the ground and sat before the sword. He stared at it, not moving, not sure what to do before he ran a hand through his hair and looked away. After a moment he let lose a sigh and turned back to face the sword.

"Well guys, I've decided." He spoke to the sword as if it were a living thing. "I'm…I'm going to try living for once. I'm not quite sure how to go about it but…but…I'm willing to give it a shot." He took a deep breath and shut his eyes before carrying on. "I'll probably…no, I'll definitely not be very good at it and I'm sure I'll make an utter mess of it." His eyes drifted open and gave himself a determined nod. "But I'm going try."

He raised himself to his feet and dusted his pants before turning around and walking away, towards the exit of the clearing. Just as he was about to set foot outside of the clearing's boundary and onto the road that will lead him out of the woods, he hesitated.

Pausing, he turned his head and looked back at the sword that still shone in the dark. The only light in a place filled with shadows.

"Goodbye."

Then he strode out and this time, he didn't look back.

* * *

><p><em>These Children are so very remarkable.<em>

_Watch them as they trip and fall,_

_Only to get back up and learn._

_And if you look away from them for but a moment,_

_They'd be grown before you know it._

The King piece was balanced precarious on its edge, only prevented from tipping over completely by the finger that held it in place.

After a moment of contemplation, the chess piece was set back down to its proper place. But a moment later it was pulled back onto its edge. On and on this went, the king piece set down only to be tilted back again, balanced on its edge.

Tsubaki paused in the middle of her work to observe her King's unusual behavior as she stood over the chess set and played with the King piece. There was no else but her in the Council room to witness the scene but her. The others have been sent home to rest and recover from their ordeal. Only Sona and her had been uninjured enough to work today.

"Kaichou?" she cautiously ask, slowly approaching her King. "Are you alright?"

Sona ignore her, focusing on the King piece that she kept tilting and setting down. Tsubaki was about to asked her again but she was interrupted.

"Tsubaki." Sona called out to her as she finally set the piece flat on the board and let it go, though her eyes never looked away from it even as she spoke. "Put the chess set away."

"Pardon?"

"Just pack it up and store it away someplace. I'm not going to need it anymore." She leaned over the board and brought her hand next to the King piece, her index finger held back by her thump.

"Sometimes when we grow up we need to put away our old toys. We need to let go of them and move on if we wish to continue growing." She then flicked the tip of the King, knocking it down on its side. "And I refuse to stop growing."

She rose up to her full height before turning to face her Queen. She pushed her frames up her nose before he spoke, "Put it away Tsubaki. I'm not going to restrict myself any longer." She turned and walked away, intend on finishing the rest of her work. "It seems like I've out grown this game."

_So be sure to keep both eyes on them…_

…_and watch them grow._

* * *

><p>At first it was little things…<p>

So small that he barely noticed them, thought nothing of them.

…didn't realize she was dying.

Then one by one, things kept failing.

She would drop things, trip more often and sometimes run into doors.

Then one day her legs simply refused to work.

And through it all she would smile. Cheer him own as if he was the one dying and not her.

A pale and thin hand rose up to cup his check, feebly wiping away the tears that fell down them with her thump.

"Hey, Oni-chan, don't cry…there's no need to cry….because….because it was fun….So much fun."

She was laid over his lap while he had his arms wrapped firmly around her, refusing to let go as they were seated in the magic circle her mother crafted so long ago. It was the only thing that could lessen her pain.

In the darkness of the shed the smile she sent up to his tear stricken face was dazzling, even as it she looked up at him with unseeing eyes.

"I love you…thank you… and…bye-bye." Then she was gone, her hand falling to the ground.

The boy yelled out, begging the girl in his arms to wake up, pleading with her not to die. But it was too late, the girl was gone. He could feel the beat of her heart stopping beneath his hands.

But despite knowing that she was gone, that there existed no hope, no magic that could bring her back, he refused to let her go.

Even as the warmth continued to drain her once living body, replaced with the coldness unique to the dead alone, his grip on her never less lessened. He prayed, he begged, he pleaded but no miracle ensued. The girl in his arms did not wake up.

It was then, as he looked around for something, anything that could save her that he caught sight of the circle beneath them. And a flame of desperate hope began to burn once again in his heart.

Once, in another place and time, a dying boy was saved here. Though he had no hope, no chance of survivable, not with the inhuman warrior behind him, he was still saved by a Knight unlike any other.

It was here that miracle a was born.

It was here that miracle of their meeting happened.

And it will be here that another miracle will occur.

Staring down at the circle, he offered it everything he had. His body, his life, anything and everything he owned, he was willing to pay it, just to bring someone that could save her.

Nothing happened.

No matter how much he yelled or what he offered the magic remained stubbornly silent. An hour had passed as he continued to try and still the circled remind dull, lifeless as the girl in his arms and all the while her body continued to grow colder until she felt like ice to his touch.

And still he refused to let go.

He continued to scream out until his voice broke form all his yelling and then he continued to whisper instead, in near silent pleading.

It was during the end to one of his beseeching episodes that an idea came to him. One born from desperation rather than any form of reason or logic.

In this world, all Magecraft will suffer from interference. The rules that govern the universe will make it so, because of it many spell that may have been possible become impossible.

So to escape that interference, all he needed was to enter a different world.

_**I AM THE BONE OF MY SWORD**_

The shed around him disappeared. Replaced with a world of endless swords and steel. A world were the Dawn will never come nor the sun ever set. A world trapped in perpetual twilight.

He tightened his arms around the girl, as both of them remained in the boundary of the magic circle that he brought along with them to the heart of his soul.

He gathered his breath for one last attempt, one last desperate gamble before he exhausts himself. His final chance.

He raised his face to the sky and yelled out with a voice hoarse from screaming.

"I don't care whose listening, whether you're a God, Angel or even the Devil himself. For her sake, you can have it all, everything I have I offer you. Any price, any debt I'll gladly pay it. To save her, I'll do anything, give you anything. So please someone. Anyone. Save her. I don't care whether if you take my body, my life or even-" He took one final deep breath and with all the power he had in him, he yelled out.

_My soul!_

_Just please, please save my sister!_

Beneath them, the circle flicked. Too quick and feeble for even him to sense, but it was there. The azure light it burned with was a meagre thing, too dim and gone too fast for him to notice. Fading away not even a heartbeat later.

But it was enough.

More than enough.

For a miracle had happened.

It was someplace far away, literally worlds apart. And yet somehow, someone heard his prayer.

She twitched, freezing in mid-step before turning around and looking over shoulder. Raven hair framed baby-blue eyes with just the faintest trace of green in them that looked up into the distance sky, looking for something that's not there.

"Is someone calling me?"

_And that was how a Demon Lord, and her Hero, met._

* * *

><p><em><strong>End of Arc 1: Why Angels Fall<strong>_

_*****_**Story Stop***

_**(Or as I know how everybody is going to refer to it, the Kokabiel Arc)**_

**Author's Notes:**

Now, before we do anything else I want to ask you all to turn and look towards the distance horizon. Do you see that tiny dot there? Can you tell what it is? Is it a bird? No. Is it a plane? No. Is it a…Magic Girl? Yes! Yes, it is a Magic Girl. Ladies and Gentlemen Serafall is finally coming in the very next chapter. And who is that white haired and sometimes bloodthirsty Loli with her? Yes, it's Ilya! They are both coming in the next chapter.

Alright now that out of the way allow me to say, Holy crap, we've reached the end of the first arc! And in less than two months too. I must admit when I first wrote this story I was afraid that no one would be interested in reading it and it will die after the first three chapters or so, but at the time I'm writing this its been 8 weeks, 150,000 words, 1000+ fav/follow/reviews later and still going so strong. I even have a good chunk of the next arc planned out and several ideas for the arcs after it.

Now since this is the end of an Arc I believe I need to take some time to thank a few people. 'Bigreader in The Omniverse' for helping me fix up my work and get it out all in time, Artful Lounger for providing me with far more DxD information than the wiki ever did, and captor2000 along with all the others who took the time to provide with some constructive reviews. I don't know how it is with other authors but I read every single review I receive, twice (ok, three times but that's only because I love reading them). They really help give me the confidence I need to keep writing so thank you all so much.

Now onto the chapter itself. Originally I wanted this and the last chapter to be paired up but I decided to separate them to let the last chapter sink in. A death of a character like Kokabiel needed to be honored. And I was afraid people will be too mentally worked up to appreciate anything else I had to add.

And yes, there will be major consequences for Shirou's fight. But it won't appear right away. The information needs time to spread, for the people who hear about it to confirm its authenticity and decide how to act on it, but when it does there will be massive consequences down the line.

I remember reading a review that asked if I had a central message in my story. While I'm not sure if I ever will, what I hope to convey in this chapter was _growth_.

Something that I always disliked about canon, and in fact many anime in general, is that get over your past you must a) punch the Villain who hurt you in the face or B) find out that what you know about your terrible past was a lie and learn the truth. All of the solutions are external.

But life doesn't work like that. You don't always have a convenient enemy to hate, to blame for your problems. Sometimes you have to face your past, not because it comes back to haunt you but because you have to. To grow, to heal, that is something all of us have to go through.

Kiba no longer had anyone to blame. The ones who killed his friends in the holy sword project were all punished and executed. Justice was served, but he could not heal. And there was no left to blame. No one but the Excaliburs. Unthinking and unfeeling pieces of metal who in truth could not be held responsible because they were merely tool. Here Kiba didn't get to break a single Excalibur, he didn't get fight Freed or Valper. He was simply confronted with a single fact. His friends didn't save because they wanted revenge, it was because they want him to live. It was his choice on what to with this knowledge.

Koneko this time didn't have Kuroka conveniently taking a blow for her or finding out she committed the crimes she did to save her. She just acknowledged that even though her sister had did bad things, she still loved her. Sometimes the people we love do bad things, commit crimes or hurt us. It us up to us to decide if we can forgive. And remember Koneko was very young when all this happened so she probably didn't understand what was happening at the time and it had to have been explained to her when she was older. And odds are that person wasn't painting Kuroka in a positive light.

Sona, well I think with her it was pretty much self-explanatory. People are always afraid to leave their comfort zones because it is difficulty and we risk making a fool of ourselves. But only by doing what is difficult, by doing something difficult can we continue to learn and grow.

Oh, and I was just looking at the DxD wiki and ran into the Kokabiel page. Am I the only one who can't look at Canon Kokabiel without feeling a little depressed anymore?

Now I'm sure most of you noticed but for those of you who didn't I will post the stats of any ongoing chapters in my profile page. Including release date if I'm close to completion. So if you want to know when the next update is coming look there.

I've decided to put up a character poll, so be sure to vote. But it won't be a popularity poll, but one to see if liked how the character was developed (that means even if you didn't like the character, but you like how they were fleshed out vote for them).

I think I covered everything. Now I'm going to take the rest of the week off to enjoy the final stretch of my vacation without dragging my laptop around. If anyone have any questions though, please don't hesitate to PM me or add them to your review and I'll get back to you. Now I'm crossing my fingers and hopping I'd get a Tv tropes page at last.

Thanks for reading and I hope you liked this chapter.


	13. Chapter 13: This is Serafall - Part 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or High school DxD, just the original concepts and plot in this story. This Crossover is a complete AU**

**Author's Notes:**

Yo, it's been a while hasn't it? I do believe this has been by far the longest stretch of time I had between posting chapters and god did I miss you guys. Now in my defense I caught a terrible cold that lasted for two weeks and I couldn't write well at all during that time (if something comes off as off in this chapter, blame it for me writing it in a feverish haze). But I'm all better now and I have a chapter out for all of you. Well, half a chapter really. As those of you who read my profile page know this chapter kept ballooning up and it looked like it would hit the 40K mark so I decided to cut it in half and it is still the largest chapter I've published so far.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy your the chapter and I have a special announcement in the end so be sure to read it.

Enjoy.

***Story Start***

* * *

><p>This is Serafall (Part 1)<p>

"For the last time Asia," I pinched the bridge of my nose as I spoke, feeling the arrival of the now familiar headache, "the answer is no. You can't take it home with us, now put it back wherever you found it."

"But Shirou!" She pleaded, "I can't send her back. Can't you see how scared and lonely she is?"

I turned to look at the reptile in question, "No." I replied as eyes that shone with more malevolence and hatred than anything I had seen before gazed unblinkingly back into mine. "I can't."

"Oh come on, Shirou. She was trying to follow me home." She tightens her grip on the monstrosity, wrapping her arms around its neck and rubbed her cheek against its own. "The poor little thing has been in the forest all alone for so long, I can't send her back there. I just can't. What if she gets hurt? Didn't you hear what Zatouji said? That forest is not safe, what if she runs into something dangerous?"

"Asia," I pointed at that monstrosity that she's holding, "that is the danger."

The light of the moon reflected off its scales, causing it to gleam like emeralds in the darkness of the clearing. It towered over the trees of the ancient forest, its head easily clearing the even the highest among them as it stared down at me with cruel yellow eyes that held a cunning and predatory intelligence in them. All nine pairs of them.

For all its size it moved in complete silence, slithering along the ground with all the noise of a whisper. Vile green venom dripped from its razor sharp fangs, longer than I am tall, falling to the ground where it splashed upon the earth before it sizzled and hissed as it dissolved through the grass and ate into the very dirt.

As I looked up at Asia, from where she sat upon one of the nine heads of the Hydra while wrapping her arms around the neck of another, I could not help but wonder if the equivalent of this world's Alaya hated me. If it was responsible for all the crap I kept going through then it must utterly loath me. Then again I had no one else to blame but myself, I should have realized something like this would happen when things started to go so well.

After the Fallen attack, or as Kokabiel's Fall as it was sometimes being called among other things, Sona and Gremory had begun to double up on their training. They've been pushing themselves rather harshly actually. Not that I could blame them. After what they've been through their reaction is completely understandable, so I decided to sit back and watch how things will work out for the time being but I may have to step in soon if they go too far.

Consequently, the two Heirs no longer seemed to have any free time to do anything else other than train, unwilling to spare anytime for anything else. I've actually been called in to help fulfill some of their contracts because they didn't want to stop training.

That is the reason we were even here. Neither of the two wanted to waste time searching for familiars despite booking an appointment with a Familiar Master months ago, not when only a single member of either of their Peerage lacked a familiar, prioritizing their training over everything else.

So instead of letting their appointment go to waste, something that even High-Class Devils would have to book months in advance for, they offered it to me and I accepted. It seemed like such a good idea at the time too, seeing as I was lacking a familiar myself.

That was the reason why Asia, Xenovia and myself ended up in the middle of a forest with a Familiar Master named Zatouji looking for beasts to contract with. Ramiel, the leader of my little group of Fallen-Ninjas, and the rest of his group didn't need to tag along as they had already found familiars of their own.

And that was how what had started off as a beautiful day ended up with me standing face to face with an abomination. It was death, devastation given form. With venom so deadly that even the strongest of Devils feared it, combined with a body that is said to be immortal, it was a true nightmare come to life.

A species that has killed its own master more time than any other creature, the nine-headed Hydra was one of the handful of beasts to fall into the category of Evil Familiars in Underworld.

It was also giving me a large puppy eyed stare as Asia continued to plead with me to let her keep it. Or at it least it tried to. Somehow a pair of yellow slitted eyes in a serpent's face staring wide-eyed at me doesn't exactly give me the same warm and fuzzy feeling that it would coming from a puppy.

Well, one of its heads was giving me the puppy eyed look. The other six were glaring down at me imperiously as if daring me to deny Asia's wish. The eighth had its eyes closed while it hissed in contentment as Asia scratched the scales above its right eye, and the last head was chasing a terrified Zatouji in some kind of sadist game as the poor Familiar Master ran in circles around me, yelling in terror all the while.

How did getting something as simple as getting familiars for both my Peerage and myself go so wrong so fast? Releasing my nose I raised a hand and pointed at the monstrosity she was holding onto. "Now go put it back where you found it."

"But Shirou, I already named her!" She called down to me from her perch, still refusing to let go of the serpent. "I can't let Miss Peanut Wigglebutt go back now."

"For the last time Asia, I said no- _Wait! What!?_" I mentally backtracked as my mind caught up to what I heard. "Asia," I spoke the words slowly, making sure that there is no way she could misunderstand, "did you name the nine-headed monstrosity, a beast so frightening that it's mere sight can make entire armies turn around and run in fear, _Miss Peanut Wigglebutt?_"

"Yes." She confirmed as she continue to scratch its scales, "Doesn't it suit her?"

I felt my jaw unhinged as I gaped up at her while my mind conjured mental images of the consequences of such a name. Of how grown men will fear the name peanut and will whisper it only in dark corners in the dead of night, never too loud for fear of summoning it. Of how soldiers would yell 'Run its Peanut Wigglebutt' causing entire armies to turn and flee.

What can possibly be more embarrassing than reporting to your superior officer that you ran away from an enemy named Miss Peanut Wigglebutt? To be killed by one, my mind supplied the answer along with a mental image of a gravestone with the epitaph 'Here lies Damion. Soldier, Warrior and Hero of unmatched courage and prowess. Struck down before his time by the wicked Wigglebutt.'

No. Just no. There is no way I could allow her to name it that. The consequences was too dire. I had put a stop to this evil before it was too late. I looked up at Asia and locked eyes with her to convey the seriousness of the situation, and once I was sure she understood the significance about what I was about to say, I opened my mouth to deny her.

"Yes." The word came out of my lips without me willing it to. I tried to resist, I honestly tried but it was no use. It was as if Serafall reached across from the very planes of existence itself and possessed me, forcing my mouth to spill out the words and my head to nod in agreement, "Yes Miss Peanut Wigglebutt is a wonderful name and it suits her perfectly."

"It's settled then." Asia beamed at me before turning to look directly into the eye of the monstrosity, "From now on your name will be Miss Peanut Wigglebutt."

And thus a great evil was committed this day.

I took a moment to send a prayer for the countless of broken pride that name will no doubt cause.

"Asia," and even to my ears my voice sounded resigned. I already knew that anything I said will end in vain and that Asia, as usual, will inevitably get what she wants, but damn it it I had to at least try. "Why can't you get a more reasonable familiar like Xenovia?"

I pointed to the other side of the clearing where Xenovia was patting the neck of her Pegasus.

"Come, oh most worthy steed." She declared as she sat up from her spot on the back of the Pegasus. Its white coat shimmered like silver and its blue mane was the exact same shade as her hair. "From this day forth we shall ride into battle together and our enemies shall learn fear." She drew her sword and pointed it straight ahead. "Now charge! High-ho Silver away!"

Then in a blur of movement she was gone, soaring up to the skies in a streak of blue and white.

"On second thought." I turned back to Asia, fighting the urge to slump in defeat as I did so. "Fine you can keep the monstrosity, but-"

"Thank you Shirou!" She interrupted me.

"But," I repeated, "Only if you burn that shirt."

"Deal!" She readily agreed.

Well, at least that take cares of one of my problems. For on her white shirt was the caption '_People Die When They Are Killed – Emiya Shirou_'.

Once! I swear I said it once, and no one ever let me forget it. This is why I know I suck at giving speeches. I gave a bad one once and it still haunts me even in an entirely different dimension.

At the moment I wanted to do nothing more but go home and sleep. Unfortunately I still had to find a familiar of my own before we could leave.

"No! Bad Miss Peanut Wigglebutt." I looked up to find Asia scolding one of the Hydra's heads. It was trying to look inconspicuous but was failing badly, what with the man-sized bulge in its throat and the muffled screams that could still be heard. "Devils are not food! Now spit poor old Zatouji out right this instant."

You know what? Forget the damn familiar, let's go home before something else happens.

* * *

><p>I pivoted in place, pulling my left side back, barely preventing the sword from skewering me as it thrust through the space my shoulder had just occupied, missing it by mere inches. Using the momentum of my pivot, I thrust the sword in my right hand forward, aiming for my opponent's shoulder in turn.<p>

Like me, he twisted away from the blow, pulling his shoulder back as the momentum of his strike continued to drag him forward. For a moment, just as he was about to pass me by, we ended up mirroring each other. Both of our swords were thrust forward in our right hands while our left sides were pulled back to avoid the other's blow.

Even the swords in our hands were the same, mirror images of the other. A matching pair of steel grey long-swords. Straight, simple and functional, free from any extravagant and unnecessary ornaments. They were perfect copies of each other, down to the smallest detail. I made sure of it. The only things that truly differentiated us from the other was his blond hair compared to my red, and the irritated frown on his face opposed to the amused smirk on mine.

He stomps his foot into the ground, stopping his forward momentum before we got out of each other's range, and redirecting the energy into his left arm, swinging the blade that suddenly appeared in what was his once empty hand at me. It was a complete reversal of his last sword. Where the first was basic and practical in design, this one was ornamental to an extreme.

The sapphires that studded along the flat of the blade were arranged in eye-pleasing swirling patterns, glimmering in the light of the morning dawn. Its hilt was gold plated and where there should have been a pommel was an egg-sized sapphire instead.

He swung it down on me from overhead, as if trying to cleave me in two, putting all of his weight behind the blow. It didn't take him long to learn that holding back in our spars was a bad idea. It did nothing but make him lose that much faster and after I simply overpowered his strikes with my own a couple of dozen times the first few days we practiced, he stopped doing so entirely.

Still, even after he pushed every ounce of strength he had into that strike it never reached me. Didn't even come close. As before it covered half the distance between us a sword, one so similar to his, intercepted it just as it came down.

It took me less than a fraction of a second to analyze the sword and read its history before recreating a perfect replica of it for myself. The moment it fell into my hand I brought the sword down overhead at him, with exactly the same strike and trajectory he was using against me.

The air echoed with the ringing of steel as both swords rebounded off the other, sending a fireworks of sparks into the air, filling the space between us with flickering lights.

The power of the blow sent him stumbling back a step before he regained his balance. Then instead of bringing the sword back down again for another strike, Kiba released his sword, both of them. They quickly disappeared as they left his hands, fading into motes of lights before another pair of swords appeared in his grip to take their place.

While it took him a while, he had finally begun to realize that I could copy his skills with the sword after several hours of sparring together. It took him even longer to discover that I was able to mimic his skill much easier when he kept using the same swords or styles he tended to favor. Since then he's tried to confuse me by switching swords as often and quickly as he could. Sometimes never using the same sword for more than a single strike before switching to a new weapon.

Like he was doing right now.

The air between us continued to be filled with multicolored specks of lights as our swords streaked towards each other, birthing sparks whenever they clashed. Swords made from nothing but living shadow and darkness, blades with crimson flames licking up and down their edge, claymores then daggers, elegant rapiers were followed by serrated blades. Time after time our swords would meet and clash only to be repelled then replaced by another in the next strike, never using the same sword as one used before.

Yet each time he switched swords, I would do so too, matching whatever blade he conjured with one that mirrored his. Dagger with dagger, long sword with long sword, and I would always strike with the same amount of skill and force he would wield his sword with, as if I was some kind of doppelganger.

His idea of a switching swords was a good one in theory but a bad one in practice. He knew it wasn't enough so to overwhelm me, not by a long shot, so he would experiment with his attacks. Strike from left when he would often favor the right during practice, thrust instead of cleaving, go low when he should have went high, always trying something new or different than his usual method of attack.

Unfortunately that wasn't enough. On the rare occasions that he successfully catches me off guard, it's usually when he does something unusual or with a move he has never practiced before. Unsurprisingly this causes his skill and speed to drop significantly, his usual elegance with the blade nowhere to be seen, allowing me to counter him easily even through my surprise.

Still, this was good practice for him. It forced him to try experiment and try to think of knew attack style outside of his usual patterns. In the long run it will only help him developed as a fighter. From what I had observed, Kiba's strength lies in his speed and his versatility granted to him by his swords.

The problem was that Kiba failed to capitalizes on his strengths. Sure, he has no problem using his speed but it was how he used his swords that was the issue. He relies too much on the multitude and flexibility of his swords' abilities while he himself remains rigid.

Kiba clearly favors the European long sword, it was the kind of sword his fighting style was meant to wield. That was the reason why almost all the swords he produced with his Sacred Gear were long swords. But that was just a waste of his Sacred Gears power. Sword Birth can produce almost every kind of sword there is but Kiba limits himself to one.

It was an understandable problem. Learning different sword styles is a difficult and time-consuming process that would take years even for talented swordsmen to accomplish. I was only able to overcome the problem thanks to my ability to use the skills of my swords' previous owners. That was however not a good enough excuse for him not to learn other styles.

That was what I was trying to do. By making him realize that his current way of fighting didn't work against me, I was forcing him to try something new. To adapt and experiment with his Sacred Gear until he found something that worked.

"Damn…jocks." A tired voice wheezed out, dragging me out of my thoughts just as I deflected another blow. I shifted my attention away from the little game I was playing with Kiba and looked to my right, where on the other side of the clearing we were training in, stood an utter exhausted looking Sona

Well, calling what she was doing standing would have been rather a stretch, considering that she was bent over double and just barely staying on her own two feet. I was sure the only reason why she wasn't sprawled out face first on the ground was due to the staff that she was desperately clinging onto.

And even with the staff that she was using to prop herself up she was barely able to remain standing. Her legs kept wobbling in place beneath her and threatened to give out at any second.

She was glaring up at us over the rim of her glasses, her face drenched with so much sweat that drops of it continued to drip down her face and off the tip of her nose. Her sweat soaked hair was plastered onto her face and her breath came out in short wheezing pants. Even the School's sport uniform that she had on was completely soaked through with her sweat.

Yet despite her obvious exhaustion, she didn't lose a hint of her usual ferocity as she attempted to force us into submission with the power of her glare alone. Or tried to anyway. Sona was hardly the most intimating person to me even during the best of times. Now, what with the way her drenched hair was plastered onto her face, she looked as ferocious as an angry kitten that was just taken out of its bath. Her glaring just made her look even more adorable.

"How…"She panted out between breaths, "…is this…supposed to be…fun? Bloody… Jocks… how are you… possibly…enjoying this?"

I was prevented from answering her question when a sword came slashing down at my head, forcing me to lean backwards to avoid the blow. Kiba, not letting his failed attack slow him down in the slightest, spun around and brought his sword back for another strike.

I felt a stirring of satisfaction as I watched his unrelenting attack. It was a far cry from how he acted when we started. Back then he was both chivalrous and honourable, stopping his attacks and waiting for me to face him again instead of continuing whenever my attention was drawn away by the others training with us.

The first time he did it I made sure praised him for behaving in a matter truly befitting a knight. Then when he let his guard down as he was about to thank me for the compliment I slammed the flat of my sword into the side of his skull when he wasn't ready. I made sure to hit him hard enough for him to really feel it too.

I ended up over doing it a bit and my strike wound up giving him a concussion. Asia had to be called in to help fix him up and get him back on his feet again. She also had to come in the second and third this time happened as well. It was only after the third time did it began to dawn on him I was being sarcastic with my complements, and after that he finally learnt to not stop attacking whenever I looked away.

Now don't get me wrong, chivalry and honour are both wonderful things. It's one of the reason why I fell for Saber after all. I just don't believe they should belong on the battlefield. They tend to get you killed more often than not.

And I sure as hell wasn't about to allow anyone I teach die in such a stupid way. Only the strong can afford to show chivalrous in battle. I'm convinced that the only reason why Saber survived for so long acting the way she did was because disadvantaged or not she had more than enough power to overwhelm anyone that challenged her.

I could hear Kiba actually growl in frustration when I didn't even bother looking away from Sona as I continued to dodge and deflect his attacks. He almost snarled as he redoubled his attacked, reinforcing a rather startling truth that I had ended up discovering during my time sparring with him. Kiba, it turns out, had one hell of a temper. Who would have figured that someone as polite as him had Wrath as a personal sin?

"I have no idea what you're talking about Kaichou." He gritted out through clenched teeth as he continued to press his attack, which only seemed to fuel his frustration when he failed to make any real progress. "The only ones that are having fun here are these two."

"_Nya-ha-ha_, Kiba-chi~." A voice cheered from above me. "It's not our fault you're not having fun. You'd be enjoying yourself too if you could just fight worth a damn. _Nya-ha."_

Then again, the source of his temper may not have anything to with his Sin, what with the heckler he seemed to have gained.

Kiba paused in his attacks to look up at my little passenger. "As if you can do any better." He pointed his sword up at her, "How am I supposed to take this fight seriously when you're riding on his shoulders Koneko?"

"Kiba-chi~," She drawled out her new pet name for him as she propped an elbow on my head, "it's called a handicap."

I felt Shirone pet me a couple times before she started ruffling my hair. "If you can't beat my little servant here with me in his way, then you'll just end up getting your pretty little ass kicked even worse without me, _nya-ha-ha~._"

Ok, now that that was a little harsh. That it was also true was completely irrelevant. I lowered my sword and looked up above me with a reprimand ready on my lips, only to pause as I found a pair of golden eyes staring back down into mine. They sparkled in the sunlight, filled with barely concealed mischief and amusement that I knew would only spell trouble for me.

From where she sat on my shoulders, with her legs hooked beneath my arms, Shirone grinned teasingly down at me before giving my head another couple of condescending pats.

"Shirone, how many times must I tell to stop teasing Kiba during our training?" I admonished her, "And when did I ever agree to become your servant?"

A smirk flashed through her face for a heartbeat before she quickly hid it behind a faux serious expression. She removed her hand off the top of my head to tap her chin a couple of times while she cocked her head in thought, "Well, you feed me don't you?"

I didn't hesitate in the slightest to nod adamantly in response. There was no denying that. She invited herself over for almost every meal these days. Not that I minded of course but holy crap could the girl eat!

If Serafall hadn't provided me with what was practically unlimited funding to spend while I was here, I'm sure that Shirone would have eaten me out of house and home three times over by now. She devoured more food in a single meal than the rest of my peerage could eat throughout the entire day. Combined.

"And you take care of me as well, right?" Propping her chin on my head as she asked. I felt a feeling of trepidation wash over me for a moment before I reluctantly nodded my head. I'm not sure why, but I had a bad feeling that I wouldn't like where this was going.

Sure enough, her next words confirmed my fears. "Well since you feed me, take care of me, and do anything I ask you to, then what else could you possibly be but my servant?"

"Wait wait wait! Since when did I ever do anything you ask me?"

I felt her shift around on my shoulders as she moved about and her legs tighten their hold on me before she pushed herself off my head and lean down over in front of me. Her upside-down face ended up suspending before mine, only a few inches separating the two of us, while her hair dangled down towards the ground.

The pair of white-furred cat-ears that she now seemed to continuously have out began to fold flat against her head, making her look ridiculously sad. Her golden eyes grew wide with surprise and they quickly began to turn moist as unshed tears began to gather in them. Her chin wobbled slightly for a moment as she whispered out, "You…you mean you won't?"

"I…no, that's not what…I mean…" I stammered out trying to come up with something to say as her eyes, her wide heartbreaking eyes remained locked onto mine and her chin's trembling continued to grow more pronounced with every passing second.

Ok, now that just wasn't fair! I knew that look. How could I not when Ilya kept using it on me whenever she really wanted something. As if that wasn't bad enough but now Shirone learned how to do it too? Did they have classes specifically for little white haired girls where they go to learn how to do this or was it just genetic?

However, it wouldn't work. Not anymore. Not with my new found Devil Pride to help me resist. My pride will never allow me to bow down and become anyone's servant, even if it was just in name alone. Not even if the person happened to be an adorably sad little girl whose broken hearted face made me want to hug her until all her pain went away and promise the entire world just to make her smile again.

So no, unlike with Ilya I didn't cave into her demand right way. I've changed. This time I was able to resist for a full six seconds before I folded like a stack of cards.

"…Fine." I slumped over slightly as I stopped resisting and gave over to the inevitable. I could feel my broken pride weeping in a dark corner of my soul from the beating it received. "I give, I'm your servant, whatever, just cut the damn puppy eyes out."

At my words her frown disappeared and was instantly replaced with a cheerful smile. "_Nya-ha-ha-ha_," She laughed as flipped herself back up again. "See? What a good boy you are my little servant."

Then she began to fondly pat the top of my head again as if were a dog as all the while she smirked impishly down at me.

You know, the longer I began to hangout with Shirone the more certain I became of a certain truth. It was official, she was an _Evil kitty_.

I must that have said that out loud because the next thing I knew Shirone broke out in another string of laughter, "Shirou~. Didn't you know? All cats are Evil. We're just cute enough to get away with it, Nya-ha~."

Before I even got the chance to so much as think of a retort Kiba attacked, trying to take advantage of my distraction and sneak a blow in. It didn't work of course but that was the closest he came to hitting me all day.

With Shirone on my back I couldn't duck the blow as I usually would have, not without her getting hit in my place. So I blocked the blow with the flat of my blade instead. It wasn't an elegant solution but it worked, and with the power advantaged granted to me by my Queen Piece to his Knight, I was able to easily halt him in his tracks using brute strength alone.

We ended up standing face to face, with swords locked in place between us, before I broke the stalemate. Digging my feet into the ground I flexed my legs and pushed forward, forcing Kiba back and trying to knock him off balance. It didn't work as instead of fighting me, Kiba went along with my action. He leapt backwards and used my push to help propel himself away faster and soon he was a fair distance away from the reach of my sword.

He leapt back a couple of more times than he needed to, stopping only when he cleared a wide stretch of open space between us. As he skidded to a halt he immediately held his sword in before him, in the classic two handed grip, in preparation for any counter attack I may attempt. He didn't need to bother as I just held my ground instead and waited for him to come to me and, to my mild surprise, he did the same.

The Kiba in front of me was a far cry from what he was when we first started training. Even as little as a month ago he would have never been content to sit back and wait. The old him would rely completely on his speed and reflexes to get him through a fight, rushing in and trying to overwhelm his opponent at the first opportunity.

And to his credit it would work pretty well most of the time. Even for a Knight Kiba was scary fast and at times even I had trouble keeping up with him without reinforcing myself. He would have been able to finish off most opponents before they even realized that they were being attacked but against someone of a higher caliber than him, his recklessness would doom him.

But now he was already different, all I had to do was watch his eyes for proof. They weren't locked onto me like they used to. They were slowly drifting left and right, scanning the terrain around us in addition to myself.

He had already attempted all of his regular lines of attack over our weeks of sparring and they all failed. Several times in fact. So he had been forced to learn how to use his brain rather than just his skills when fighting me.

To learn how to observe the field of a battle as well as his opponent was a skill that would have been worthless in a regular sword match but utterly invaluable in the battlefield. That is the difference between fighting a single opponent in a sparring match and fighting several opponents in a constantly shifting battlefield.

And that was why I left him to it uninterrupted. That was what I had been trying to teach him all this time so there was no way I'm going to interfere now that he was finally getting it right. So I lowered my sword slightly and took a semi-relaxed stance, waiting for him to finish and see what he came up with.

Kiba didn't really need me to teach him any sword skills. Other than his lack of flexibility it was already near flawless for his age. Not surprising, seeing as he had a first class instructor helping him train. Souji Okita was one of the greatest living swordsmen in the Underworld and, if Kiba was anything to go by, an equally skilled teacher, if a little old fashioned.

So no, I didn't need to bother teaching him any sword skills. What I tried to teach him instead, other than observing the entire battlefield, was something that only I as a fellow crafter of multiple swords could teach. How to fully utilize the advantage that our swords granted us.

Right now he was only the using the direct application of his sword's abilities, which was a complete waste of his true potential. What he needed to realize, just as how I did long ago, is that it was not the abilities of ours swords that made them powerful, but knowing how and when to use them. The pure flexibility and versatility is our fighting styles' greatest asset, and the sooner he figured that out the better.

He was learning of course, if rather slower than I'd have liked but he was progress was progress and he getting a little bit better every single day. But he was still too rigid to my liking, to predictable. I wanted him to do something unexpected, something that I wouldn't see coming-

"I," He intoned, his voice cutting clear across the clearing and dragging me from my thoughts, "am the bone of my sword."

…What the hell?

I felt my jaw drop as I gaped in utter incomprehension at him, almost dropping my sword in my shock. Even Shirone nearly slipped off my shoulder, tilting over in surprise before she regained her wits and righted herself. I felt her then lean forward as far as she could as she joined me in staring in disbelief at the boy.

Well…at least I got my wish. I sure as hell didn't see that coming.

For a moment I almost convinced myself that I must have misheard him, that I did not just hear him chant my Aria, but then the little prick had the audacity to carry on.

"With a body of iron," His face was a mask of utter focus as he chanted the words, his eyes never leaving mine, "and a heart of fire."

This time took a deep breath before charging ahead as he continued the chant, "Utterly alone I forge my-"

The rest of the aria was abruptly cut off when he found the bottom of a shoe slamming into his jaw as I front kicked the little brat in the face.

He stumbled backwards, tumbling head over heels on the ground before he skidded to a stop only a few meters away. I stalked up to him, barely waiting for him to raise him head back up before I pointed the tip of my sword at him his nose.

"Ok…" I stared down incredulously at him. "What the hell was that supposed to do? Other than getting me to kick your ass even faster than usual?" While a part of me was bewildered about the entire thing, the rest of me felt alarmingly jealous. As irrational as it maybe, the thought of someone trying to steal my Aria spiked a wave of possessiveness in me.

Shirone had a completely opposite response to mine if her side splitting laughter was anything to go by. I actually had to reach up and grab onto her just as she was about to roll of my shoulder in her fit of laughter.

"_Nya-ha-ha-ha-ha_, oh Kiba-chi~! That was the stupidest thing I've ever seen. Ever!" She pushed herself forward and looked down at Kiba. "Not even the pervert Issei has ever done something so stupidly hilarious before."

Kiba, having regain his senses, pushed himself up to a sitting position, gingerly cradling his jaw. "What was so stupid about it? Nothing else was working and if it help Shirou in a fight why wouldn't it help me? It was worth a try at least." His voice was muffled by his hand. Ignoring my sword, he pushed himself up to his feet. "And did you have to kick me so hard?"

"Yes." I nodded without hesitation before pausing as it occurred to me that I may have overreacted just a bit and I quickly added. "It was to teach you the consequence of talking too much in battle." While weak, it was the first excuse I could think of.

Going by the doubtful look Kiba shot me I don't think he quite bought it, but other than staring at me dubiously for a few more seconds he decided to let it go before turning to walk over to where he dropped his sword. He turned around after picking it up and assumed his usual stance.

Seeing that he still wanted to continue I decided to do the same. This time however, I didn't mimic and instead projected my own swords. Kanshou and Bakuya fell into my hands and I assumed Archer's favored wide open stance, all but outright inviting him to attack me.

We both inched closer to each other and just as we bent our knees in preparation to charge, we were interrupted by a dull ringing echoing through the clearing. It took me a couple of seconds, engrossed in our match as I was, to peg the sound as the ringing of the school's bell, which signaled both the opening of the school's gates and the end of the day's training.

"Oh thank everything good and merciful it's finally over." Sona managed to breathe out before she finally surrendered to gravity, releasing her grip on the staff and collapsing into heap of strangled limbs. A thump was heard soon after when her staff joined her on the ground.

Unlike Sona, Kiba was far too well trained to allow himself to collapse in exhaustion no matter how fatigued he was. Instead he took a few slow steps backwards, widening the space between us and careful not to let his guard completely down until he was well out of my range, having learned the hard way I was willing to sneak in a few last minute blows in, before stopping and dismissing both his swords.

He groaned as he placed his hands on his back and stretched. "You know," He began as he ran his metallic grey eyes over me and Shirone, "as grateful as I am for the training, I can't help but find it a little bit unfair how untired you two are compared to me. The two of you barely look like you've worked up a sweat."

"That has as much to do with your own magic supply as it does your physical training." Dismissing my own swords in turn. "Even without training, all Devils instinctively use their magic to fortify their bodies and that allows them to push their endurance to far greater levels then they would be able to otherwise.

"As a Reincarnated Devil with no previous skills in magic before your reincarnation, your magic supply is naturally rather low compared to most Devils. Outside of the Pawn, the Knight piece grants the least amount of magic from all of the Evil Pieces.

"Don't worry though, even if you do nothing at all a Devil's magic will increase naturally as you mature and age. It won't ever stop growing no matter how old you get. There is a reason why the strongest Devils tend to be the oldest ones after all. Just give it time and your stamina will naturally increase on its own, and training will do nothing but help.

"I guessed as much," he nodded while he took deep even breaths to help him recover from the strenuous workout, "but that doesn't explain why you're so much less tired than me. I didn't think being a Queen makes that much of a difference. I've trained with Akeno often enough to know she gets tired almost as quickly as I do."

"That's because Akeno is a magic specialist. While her magic supply is probably more than a match for mine, her physical body is simply too weak to take full advantage of it. You probably never noticed it before, seeing as you haven't fought in a Rating Game yet and the only Queens you interacted with are Ultimate Devils such as Grayfia but for the most parts, Queens tend to fall into one of two categories.

"The first kind are the magic specialist. To put it simply you could more or less call them Bishops rather than Queens. Their entire fighting style consists of them trying to bombard their enemy from afar with overwhelming amount of magical firepower. While their attacks tend to be incredibly destructive, they also have almost no talent in close-range fighting, only using their speed to avoid enemies and their attacks, only relying on their defense to get them through when they can't.

"The second kind of Queens are the close-combat specialists. As you can guess they are the complete opposite of the first. Forgoing most of their magic, they try and get in close to their enemy and fight either hand-to-hand or with weapons. While not as destructive as the magic-specialist, they tend to be far more resilient and flexible in battle.

"Most Queens tend to fall into one or the other category. It's rather rare for Queens to be skilled in both fields. The only one that are tend to be from the older generation like Grayfia, who had centuries to hone their skills."

To say I disapproved of the practice was putting it lightly. While I understood intellectually at least that it was extremely difficult and time consuming for someone to train both their magic and bodies at once, it was such a waste. Queens had the potential to be great in both areas but so few ever reach that potential.

I gave my head a quick shake and got back to the topic at hand. "Anyway, despite Akeno's large supply of magic her body simply lacks the training to channel it all for long periods of time. You'll probably never have this problem seeing as your situation is the opposite of hers, but channeling Mana can exhaust the body just as easily as physical excursion. This causes her body to exhaust itself long before she even gets close of running out of magic.

"Tsubaki on the other hand," I nodded towards Sona, where her unmoving form still laid flat along the ground, "is a close combat specialist. If you ever end up facing her in combat you'll find, that despite having a lower supply of magic, she can physically outlast Akeno by a wide margin. Isn't that right Sona?"

A drawn out groan was the only reply I received. It came out rather muffled, what with the way her face was buried in the grass, so I wasn't quite sure whether it was one of agreement or of pain.

It may have been rather cruel of me, but I couldn't resist sparing a moment to take in and enjoy the rare sight of Sona in such an undignified state. Her usual dignity and rigid formality was nowhere to be seen as she laid prone on the ground, face-first, breathing into the patch of grass her head was resting on.

The Sin of Pride was such an unusual thing.

It was her Pride that demanded for her to grow stronger. To grow _strong_. To suffer through whatever pain and hardship, to bear any indignity it had to and do it all willingly if it meant removing the stain on her Pride that was caused by her weakness. It would never allow her to relive the helplessness she felt on that day. The shame of being crushed and defeated, only to watch on, helpless as a newborn child, as others decided her fate. Never again.

Yet it was the very same Pride that barred her from training with her Peerage. To her, her Peerage was what lay in the heart of her Pride, and it is for that very reason she didn't want them to see her reduced to such a state. To allow those that she prided herself in, see her in anything less than her best was intolerable.

So she would sneak out every day without them knowing, forgoing time usually spent on extra-curriculum studying to train instead. And did she ever train. Though by far the weakest of us all physically, she refused to allow us to slow our pace down for her sake.

Every morning without fail she appeared bright and early to train alongside us, not stopping until she collapsed as her body gave up on her and even then she wouldn't leave. When her limbs ended up quivering like jello and held just as much strength remaining in them, she still forced herself to remain standing and tried to hobble along after us, only allowing herself rest when we did.

It was then, after the first week that I saw her do this, did I begin to suspect that there may have been something more to her new found effort. That there was something other than her Pride driving her to do this.

Not for the first time I began to wonder, what was it that she saw reflected in the light of that sword?

Whatever it was it couldn't have been as bad as whatever Saji had seen. While his fellow Peerage members were understandably skittish of me for a while, Saji was the complete opposite. The very next time he laid eyes on me he broke down crying, sobbing like a little girl before, with a cry of 'Aniki', he embraced me in a hug and wouldn't stop weeping for a good ten minutes after.

Yeah, that would have been a rather awkward moment under any circumstance, but he had managed to make it even worse by doing it in the middle of Homeroom.

Saji had just barged into my classroom on our very first day back, ignored the teacher and just ran straight at me with arms wide open and tears running down his face.

Ever since. rumors about Kuoh Academy's newest BL couple had begun to circulate, alongside with the Issei/Kiba pairing.

But that wasn't important.

What was important, is that Sona had asked me to both help her train and to keep her Peerage from finding out about it. Since I was beginning to find myself become quite familiar with the folly of Pride, I was more than happy to oblige her.

However, that didn't mean I was above a bit of petty revenge. What with all the losses I suffered by her hand in chess, it's only fair that I use this chance to get back at her. And her asking me to do this to her just made it that much sweeter.

"As for me I'm a mix of both of physical and magical." I continued my explanation. "I may not look it but I used to practice a bit of Magecraft before I became a Devil. I was never very good at it but it was enough to help boost my magical supply to its current level."

"Not very good he says." With her head still face first in the grassy ground, too tired to bother lifting it, Sona grumbled out. "He created an entire bloody world with nothing but his soul and magic, and he say he's not very good. What kind of system do you measure yourself with? Probably the same one he uses to judge that 'yes' is an adequate answer to 'if you have a lot of swords?'"

"I…see." Kiba finally added when Sona's voice continued to diminish in volume until it devolved to a near silent, incoherent grumbling. His eyes shifted upwards until they landed on Shirone. "What about Koneko then?"

I had already opened my mouth to respond before shutting it again when I realized that I did not know the answer. Except for when she had one of her playful streaks like she did today, Shirone usually trained just as hard as the rest of us did during our little get together. Yet she had no trouble keeping pace with me.

Why did she out last Kiba?

I tilted up my head up towards her, only to find her already looking down at me with an answer ready on her lips, "It's because I'm a cat silly."

After a few more seconds of silence, it became clear that she didn't have anything else to add so I turned back to Kiba and told him, "She's a cat."

"A cat?" he cocked an eyebrow.

I nodded "A cat."

"Yup a cat,_ nya-ha_" Shirone finished with cheer.

"What she means is," Sona interrupted, still not bothering to lift her head up from the grass, "that she's a Nekoshou. While as a species they have a rather unimpressive amount of magic supply, rating somewhere near the lower end of the spectrum, they still have a lot more Mana running through their system than your average human."

She lifted her head from the ground and looked up at us. Strands of grass covered her face, tangled up in her hair and hanged off her glasses but she ignored them. "Add in their body's ability to channel extraordinarily amounts of Mana, then what you more or less end up with are a species made up of stamina freaks." And having said her part, she dropped her head back down again with a thud.

Shirone just stared dumbly at her for a few seconds before nodding knowingly. "That's what I said. Cats."

I resisted the urge to shake my head at her. "Kiba, you might want to start heading back soon if you want to squeeze in a shower before class starts." I told him as I took in his sweat drench form. "With all the parents coming today, I doubt any of the teachers would tolerate us looking anything less than our best."

"That's right, that's today isn't it?" He ran a hand though his hair, grimacing when it came back soaked.

"Buchou has been fretting over it for weeks now, trying to make sure her brother doesn't hear about it. She makes such a big deal about it every year." He shrugged. "I don't understand it myself, Sirzechs isn't that bad. And it must be kind of nice, having someone coming." His voice drifted off towards the end, before he visibly gave himself a shake and turned back to me.

"What about you Senpai? Do you have any parents coming?"

"I don't have any parents so no but my sister is definitely coming." Smiling at the thought. It's been almost two months since I've last seen Ilya. I don't think we've ever been separated for this long, not since the first time we met. A small pang of sadness hit me as I realized that this would be the first time that Fuji-nee wouldn't be the one coming but I quickly pushed the thought away. "And unlike your king, I'm actually looking forward to seeing my sibling again."

"That's good then." He flashed me a genuine smile, happy for my own fortune, before looking towards Sona. "How about you Kaichou, do you have anyone coming?"

Sona didn't say anything in reply, either having not heard him in her exhaustion or too tired to answer. Just as Kiba about to ask again he was interrupted by a low ominous chuckle. As quite as it was, it took us a moment to realize that it was coming from Sona.

"Ha…haha…hahahaha…" it started off as a quite thing but it wasn't long before Sona tossed her head back and all but cackled like a demented Disney villain. "Hahahaha! Is anyone coming he asks? Is anyone coming? Well let me tell you." She turned her manic eyes, which seemed to glow with an inner fire, to Kiba while a twisted smile adorned her lips.

"No." She answered him, rolling the word in her tongue as if she could taste it. "No one is coming, and it's going to be positively wonderful!" She flipped herself over onto her back before breaking down into another fit of cackling laughter, one that showed no sign of abating anytime soon.

Kiba shot me a worried glance but I had no better idea to what was wrong with her than he did, so I just shook my head in return. We both looked up to Koneko but see looked just as confused as we were. Feeling our eyes on her, she just gave us a shrug. Looks like she didn't know either.

So for a lack of anything better to do we collectively agreed to stand by and watch as Sona continued to laugh like a maniac. It was only when what felt like the better part of a minute had past did she finally begin to taper off.

"Do you know what it feels like," She pushed herself up into a sitting position, her voice taking an oddly sober tone, "to be have a sister like mine? To have her appear, cosplaying as a magical girl and embarrassing you in front of the entire student population, year after year?

"I am the Student Council President and the top honor student of my school. I had worked hard for that position, spent years cultivating my reputation so that I could earn it, truly earn it rather than use my family's influence to gain it.

"So can you imagine how it feels like to see that reputation ruined, no, not ruined, but utterly demolished over the course of a single afternoon as the entire student population bears witness to you running down the school corridors for all you've got for the better part of an hour while being chased by a magical girl cosplayer who keeps yelling 'yuri-yuri love' all the while?

"Then after suffering though all of that only to spend the reminder of the week using every scrap of free time you have tracking down and erasing the entire student body's memory of the event because the only way you would dare show your face back in school otherwise is with a paper bag over your head?"

"Do you what that feels like, to go through that every single year since freaking Kindergarten? Well, do you? No, no of course you don't. You couldn't possibly know what it feels like. And this year," her smile returned, "neither will I. And it's going to be wonderful." She threw her arms into the air and fell back down onto her back.

"This year we made sure neither one of our siblings knew about the class visits. We gave them the wrong date, telling them that it will take place during next week, which will be a holiday. By then it'll be too late. This year, there is absolutely no way my sister will turn up.

"Rias and I, we have spent months planning for this. Though it's a rather simple plan, we're taking no chances. For almost a year now we've been meticulously going through every detail, looking for each and every possible way of our siblings finding out, no matter how improbable it may be, and taking steps to eliminate it.

"Do you know what this means?" Her eyes shining with joy. "It means that there will be no family to embarrass me, no sister chasing me throughout the school and most especially there will be no one trying to get me dressed up as magical girl only to take a bunch of pictures to fill the family album.

"No, none of that. This day will be nothing special, nothing extraordinary. It will be mundane and, dare I say it, dull. Today will be remembered in our memories as nothing but another completely ordinary school event, one that will not distinguish itself from the countless others like it." She let out a content sigh. "And it will be glorious."

…Oh shit.

Very, very slowly I looked away from Sona, being careful not to look her in the eyes least she notices my nervousness.

How the hell was I supposed to know that she didn't want Serafall here? She didn't tell me, no one did. They never even brought it up. Did they forget whose Queen I was or something?

I had just contacted her last night to make sure that both Ilya and her were coming today, and that's when we realized she had the wrong date. Serafall had all but exploded with excitement when she realize she was going to meet her little 'So-tan' earlier than expected.

And looking at how happy Sona was, what with the occasional manic laughter she kept releasing, I didn't have the heart to tell her how badly her plan had backfired and that Serafall was already on her way. That and I might have been a little scared of what she'd do to me.

"So…" Trying to change the topic I turned back to Kiba quickly searched my mind for something to talk about, anything to distract Sona from the current situation, "What are you going to do for most of the day? If this place is anything like my old school then we won't get any real work done in class and they teachers will end the lesson early."

Students who had their parents coming over would spend their spare time with them but Kiba didn't have anyone coming to see him. It may have a little bit harsh talking like this but I learned long ago that tip toeing around issues did nothing but make the situation more awkward. No one liked to be pitied after all. Plus it wasn't as if I had parents of my own either.

"Ah, well." He scratched the back of his head. For some reason he looked really awkward. "I planned to see what Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were up to."

"The Perverted Trio?" Sona asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "What are you doing hanging around the three of them for? I didn't realize you were friends with them. Well, other than Issei."

Kiba shook his head. "I'm not. Not really. It's just that, well," He indicated to his face, "with my Devil's Trait I'm limited to the amount of people I can hang around with. Normal girls are naturally out, so that only leaves the boys. And well…" He trailed off, looking a bit uncomfortable about the topic but fortunately Sona was more than willing to finish his explanation for him.

"Even interacting with ordinary male humans will end up causing you problems. Any girl they are either dating or planning on asking out will end up ignoring them and start pursing you instead the moment your Charm takes hold of them. That rules them out as well." Sona gained a thoughtful look before beginning to scrutinize Kiba. "Ah, I see. So that's why you're hanging out with those three. I must admit, I'm mildly impressed. I didn't think you had it in you be so calculating."

A displeased expression passed over Kiba's face. "Don't say it like that. I'm genuinely trying to make some new friends yet you're making it sound as if I'm doing something bad."

"Don't misunderstand, I wasn't trying to reprimand you," Sona placated him, a pleased smirk touching her lips, "on the contrary I'm actually praising you. When taking the effects of your Charm into account, those three are the only possible human candidates you can have as friends at school.

"As there is no possible chance that a girl would ever willing get close to them, let alone date them, then there is little chance of the Charm having an adverse effects on interactions you may have with them. Being in the same year group as you means that you'll share at least some of your classes with one of them.

"All in all they're actual a pretty ideal choice. Well," she corrected herself with a scowl, "so long as you discount their personalities that is."

"Ouch," I winced. "That's putting it kind of harshly isn't it Sona?" I haven't really had a chance to interact with any of the three of them, what with them being in a grade lower than me, but they couldn't be that bad. Could they?

She just waved my objections away, "It's the truth. I see no reason why I should sugar coat it." Before turning back to Kiba. "However, there is one flaw with your plan. What are you going to end up doing with them? While having new friends is a good thing, I find it unlikely you'll find anything in common with those three."

"Ah, about that," his smile turned a little awkward as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I was going to ask them to teach me about porn."

Oh so that's why, he's going to ask them about porn- wait, WHAT!?

Around me, the entire clearing became deadly silent as every single one of us gawked at the boy, stunned speechless.

Kiba carried on, not noticing our reaction. "I mean, that's what boys my age do, right? Watch porn." He paused as he finally began to take note of our reaction. He looked around at us rather awkwardly as he tried to carry on, "That's…that's right, isn't it? That's what teen boy are supposed to do…right?"

An awkward silence took hold of the clearing as Kiba's words drifted off to a halt. He looked hesitantly around us, appearing more confused over our reaction than anything else.

"Kiba-chi." Shirone, finally breaking the silence, looked at Kiba with an expression more serious than I've seen on her for a while. "Thank goodness you're so pretty because _holy shit_ you're stupid."

Sona, finally knocked out of her stunned stupor, took off her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Kiba…Why? No, no wait." She signaled him with her hand to stop, "I don't think I want to know."

"Kiba." I walked up to the boy and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Kiba," I repeated solemnly while looking in his eyes. "Watching porn is…_exactly_ what every teenage boy should do."

Serafall would never forgive me if I let this moment pass, not in a million years, especially when she'll be here to see the fallout herself when it happens.

So instead of whacking him on the back of the head to see if I can knock the stupid out of him, I nodded my head in what I hoped appeared to be a wise manner as I continued, "Ignore the girls, they've always been squeamish when talking about these things in public. Go, hang out with Issei and the other two and ask them to teach you about porn. I'm sure they'll be happy to talk to you once you explain why you're there."

While he still looking a little bit less sure with himself than he did earlier, what with the way his eyes kept jumping between a face-palming Sona, up to the wide-eyed look of surprise of Shirone only to jump back again to my encouraging smiling face. Unsure who he should listen to, he apparently decided to just stick with his original plan.

"Ok then, if you say so." Glancing up once again to the quickly brightening sky, he added. "I'll need to start heading back anyway if I want to have enough time to squeeze in a shower."

Walking over towards the edge of the clearing, he bent down and scooped up his school bag from where he had dumped it at the start of our training. Giving us one final look over his shoulder as he made his way down the path leading back to the school, "I'll be going on ahead, you guys better hurry up if you don't want to be late."

"Don't worry," I told him as I waved him on, "we'll catch up to you in a few minutes."

"Ok then. See you all in class." And then he was out of sight of him as the trees blocked our view of him. I stared at the direction he disappeared to for a moment before letting loose a sigh.

"And there goes the greatest idiot I have ever known." Who would have thought that Kiba was actually rather stupid? Then again, he was a blond.

"Shirou," Sona looked up at me from between the gaps of her finger, still refusing to release her face-palm. "Why didn't you try to stop him?"

"You mean other than it being utterly hilarious when Kiba walks into the middle of a classroom full of students and publicly asks the Perverted Trio if they will teach him about porn?"

"Yes," Sona started to massage her temple, "other than that."

"Because I genuinely think this might be good for him." At her disbelieving look I explained. "Think about it. By the looks of it the boy has never seen porn before. No, while I can't say for sure, it sounded like he has no clear idea what porn is even used for. And that's not normal, I mean even Asia knows what porn is." No matter how much I wish it ain't so.

"I see. Rias told me that she had never seen him show any interests in girls before. For a while we actually entertained the possibility that he might have been gay but neither of us had ever seen him show any interest in men either.

"Yes," She nodded as she slipped her glasses back on, "if you think of it that way the Pervert Trio may actually be good for him." Her eyes widened for an instant before shutting them again with a groan of disbelief. "And I can't believe you got me to admit that those three's perverted antics may actually be beneficial for something."

"There is also the added bonus of this event destroying his perfect image." At Sona's prompting look I elaborated. "His reputation as a flawless prince does him more harm than good in the long run. Other than his Trait, it is perhaps the biggest barrier that separates him from his peers. When we put someone up on a pedestal they stop becoming human in our eyes, making them much harder to interact with."

"True." She nodded, "Though as the Student Council President I find it more of a benefit than a hindrance but I can understand why it may not be that way for Kiba. Still, I hope this won't be the day we remember as the birth of the Perverted Quartet."

A gentle tapping on the top of my head drew my gaze upwards to find Shirone looking down at me with a frightened expression. Her ears were laid flat down against her head and her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Shirou." she whimpered out, sounding genuinely frightened. "Shirou, Kiba-chi…Kiba-chi's not going to end up becoming a pervert…is he?"

I cracked a smile at that, "No Shirone," I assured her. "Kiba's not becoming a pervert. His just going through puberty. Five years later than he should have but other than that it's completely normal."

One of her ears jump up as her expression began to turn hopeful. "So, no pervert?

"No pervert." I confirmed.

"Good." she nodded as both her ears stood straight up. "Perverts are bad."

"Sure they are." Chuckling at her antics. To think that something as little as the possibility of Kiba turning into a pervert could get her that worried.

Still, Kiba had a point about the time and considering who was coming today I didn't want to risk being late. Who knew what Serafall would end up doing if she doesn't find Sona and me when she gets here?

With that in mind I turned to face where Sona had once again decided to lay back down on the ground, "Sona, get up. It's time we start heading back."

While her breath had long since evened out, Sona still appeared entirely exhausted. Her normally immaculate appearance was gone, replaced by a sweating, grass stained girl who, despite her efforts to hide it, still looked as if she'd like nothing more than to fall asleep on the ground right then and there.

And this right here is the crutch of the problem I have with Pure-blooded Devils. For all of their potential, practically the entire lot of them are physically frail. And they had no one to blame it on but themselves.

Unlike with Reincarnated Devils, Pure-blooded Devils are born with a body similar in nature to that of a Queen. And those born to a powerful Clan, such as one of the 72 Pillars, tend to be blessed with an even stronger body in addition to their Clan's famed ability.

With enough training they can develop the raw power and defense of a Rook, the speed of a Knight and the magic of a Bishop. And that's without the help from an Evil Piece. With one, they can become even more powerful. There is a reason why the children of the 72 pillars are so highly prized.

However despite that potential, only a handful among them ever truly achieve it.

It's not that Pure-blooded Devils don't train; on the contrary, nothing could be farther than the truth. I'd be surprised if there was a single one among that that doesn't train.

In a culture where rank and status is determined largely by the power one has, it's only natural that many Devils would do almost anything to gain it. Be it lying, deceiving or cold-blooded murder. To quench their thirst for power, they won't shy away from any act to gain it. They'd even be willing to stoop down and dirty their own hands for power. Even going as far to do something as utterly unappealing and repulsive to them as honest hard work.

The introduction of the Rating Games has only cemented this mindset. A game where the only objective is victory and the reward is a rise in one's status, is it really surprising that Devils have begun to take their training more seriously than ever.

In the Underworld, children begin their training as soon as they turn six. By then, a child's body should have matured to withstand the strain of casting spells, enabling them the ability to properly wield their Clan's magic without harming themselves.

So no, lack of training isn't the issue. The real problem lies in the general bias that magical strength is superior to physical strength.

Though calling it a bias is rather unfair of me, seeing as there is some logic behind the belief. Throughout history, the most powerful Devils that have emerged from the Underworld have always gained their reputation of strength through the might of their magic alone.

Even today the most influential Devils in the Underworld are primarily magic users. All four Maous prefer fighting with magic over hand-to-hand combat or with weapons. Even among the Reincarnated Devil the situation is the same.

Until my arrival the strongest Reincarnated Devil was Rudiger Rosenkreutz. Without even having the benefit of a Sacred Gear he was among of the first humans to achieve the rank of Ultimate-Class Devil and is ranked 7th in the rating games. He also happens to be a stereotypical mage that relied entirely on his magic and tactics to win his fights.

With so much evidence to feed their bias it was only natural that Pure-blooded Devils, who have always disdained physical labor of all kinds, tend to neglect the physical aspects of their training. There was also the small stigma that Devils that train their body over magic only do so because they lack the skill and intelligence to wield magic.

This brings us back to our current situation and the reason why Sona has turned into the quivering pile of limbs before me. At my prompting, Sona tried to push herself up, only to collapse before she was even halfway up to her feet. She ended up planting her face on the ground before falling onto her side.

Sona here is a perfect example of a typical Pure-blooded Devil. No, scratch that, she's even worse. I guess I shouldn't be surprised what with her sitting behind a desk all day but still, this horrible. Sure, she's not as weak as a pawn would be but that's not saying much.

I began to poke her with the end of my shoe a couple of times, trying to prod her into motion when it became apparent that she wouldn't be getting up again anytime soon.

"Come on Sona. You can't lie there all day, you've got classes to attend."

"…Shirou…I…can't feel my legs…just…go on without me."

If there was one thing that I truly loved about training Sona was watching how she acted after the training was over. I don't know if it was the exhaustion or the agonizing pain that she was in that did it, but she actually loosens up quite a bit. She's so relaxed that she actually acts, well, normal.

While I wasn't too surprised by how she acted, as I had seen her mask drop from time to time, the others found the entire situation surreal. While I knew that Sona never really let her guard down to anyone outside her Peerage, family or a handful of close friends, I had no idea that the image she projected to others was so harsh. Hell, the first time Sona cracked a joke Kiba was convinced that she was high on something.

If Serafall had ever found out that extreme physical exercise was what it took to make Sona gain a sense of humor she would have whipped her ass into shape years ago. Unfortunately she didn't, and since I'm not cruel enough to tell her, it looks like it'll be my job to do it instead.

By the looks of things Sona has over exerted herself. Again. I swear if it wasn't for Asia regularly checking up on her and fixing any real damage I would have put a stop to her training long ago. As it was it looks like I'm going to have to carry her back again aren't I?

With that plan in mind I turned to look up at my little passenger.

"Sorry Shirone, but I'm going to carry Sona back to school. You're going to need to get off."

"No." She scowled angrily down at me, which just made her more adorable than anything, before possessively patting my head. "This is my seat, _nya_, tell her to get her own."

I restrained a sigh when Shirone's territorial tendencies propped up again. While it was rather cute at first, and to be completely honest still is, it can become rather problematic at times. Fortunately I have long ago learned how to deal with stubborn and possessive white-haired little girls.

_Bribery_.

"I packed three extra lunch boxes today and placed them in my locker." I noted how her ears perked up before swerving around towards me at the mention of food. "If you hurry back to school, you should have enough time to eat them before the start of morning classes."

Shirone watched me dubiously before turning to look at the direction where the school stood behind the trees only to look back down at me again, or more precisely the spot that she claimed as 'her' seat. Her eyes continued to leap between the school and me, her features twisting into a mask of indecision as she was apparently torn over her two choices.

Sensing weakness I decided to pounce, "I even packed some _yokan_ for dessert today."

At the sound of her favorite food, Shirone perked up. "Really?"

"Yes, really." I laughed at her, "Now get going."

"Kaaay~~" she chirped back with a grin.

Placing both of her hands on top of my head for balance, Shirone pushed downwards and lifted her body with the strength of her arms alone. I felt her legs release their hold on me as she twisted and raised them into the air above her, basically using my head to hold a handstand, before, with quick shove of her hands, she launched herself forward.

She folded her knees to her chest and spun in small circles a couple of times before landing gracefully on her feet, her knees bending to absorb the impact.

Rising from her crouch she flashed me one final smile over her shoulders, "See yeah later Shirou~, _nya-ha_," before darting away.

I watched her as she scurried away back to school, ignoring the path that Kiba used and instead taking a more direct route through the trees. I made sure to keep my eyes on her as she made her way back, which was why I was able to see it when it happened.

Her ears folded flat against her head before they disappeared, almost as if they fused with her hair. Her cat-like tail, which swung left and right with her every step, slowly started to retract until it was hidden from view beneath her skirt.

But the most worrying was her smile.

That juvenile and mischievous smile, the like of which I would have never imaged coming from that scared lonely girl I met on the rooftop not too long ago. I watched as that smile of hers disappeared, slowly slipping off her face, only to be replaced by that far too familiar stoic mask of hers.

No, calling it a mask was not quite right. Sona wore a mask and this didn't feel anything like that. What Shirone did was something different. It almost looked like she was more…subdued? Like if she was submersing herself in water until only her head remained above the surface.

And it hurt to watch.

To see her so lively and spirited one moment only to become so detached and cold the instant she leave my sight just feel wrong. I know she's getting better but still…children aren't supposed to behave like that.

"There you go with that worried look on your face again. First with Issei and now Koneko. To think my sister would choose such a worrywart for a Queen." Sona's voice cut through my thoughts. "If you keep letting every little thing get to you, my sister's antics will have your hair turning completely white before you're thirty."

I quirked a smile as her words conjured up an image of Archer in my mind. At least I no longer had to worry about that anymore. Other that one streak of white, my hair had long stopped losing its colour since my Reincarnation.

I turned around to find Sona had pushed herself back to a seated position, her arms propped up behind her. "She'll be fine. I don't know what you and Kiba having been doing to help her but it's working wonders."

"Kiba?" I asked in surprise, "I thought she only acted like that around me."

Sona shook her head, "No, she acts just as spirited with Kiba as she does with you. Well, maybe not quite as mischievous but she's definitely more open around him as well. Though it's understandable that you didn't notice since she brightens up the moment you appear"

"I see." I nodded, pleased. "That's good, at least she's doing better than I thought." I couldn't help but frown though as a troubling thought occurred to me. "But why doesn't she behave that way with Gremory? If anyone I would have guessed she'd be more comfortable around her."

"No. It's quite the opposite." Sona's voice took on a now familiar tone, one I had mentally dubbed as her lecturing voice. "It would be more surprising if she did act that way in front of Rias. After all, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to call Rias something like a parent to Koneko. And no matter how kind they act, parents will always be an authority figure to their children. Something to respect and obey, never an equal. It's only natural for a child to be on their best behavior in front of them."

"But that doesn't explain why she acts that way around me." I pointed out the flaw in her theory. "In term of authority, I arguably outrank Rias and definitely outrank her."

"That may be so but that isn't how Koneko sees it. To her, Rias has far more authority over her than you do. She said it herself didn't she? To her Rias is her master, while you on the other hand, how did she put it again?" A smirk grew on her face, "Ah yes, her little servant I believe she called you."

I nodded, conceding the point. "So because she doesn't see me as an authority figure, she feels like she can misbehave in front of me without being punished?"

I thought back to all the times she stole my food and broke into my house and suddenly I had no trouble believing Sona's theory. I would never dare pull half the stunts she did if I thought I'd get in trouble for it.

"Something like that." She nodded before her smirk grew even wider. "Though it could simply be her way of showing affection. They do say that kids tend to tease the ones they like the most." But the next instant her smirk disappeared as she took a more solemn look. "Then there is Koneko's fear of abandonment to consider."

"Abandonment? She thinks that Gremory would abandon her? Impossible." That was completely ridiculous even to me. There has never once been a case where a Gremory had allowed members of their Peerage leave, willingly or otherwise. Their Greed will never allow it. The chance of that happening to Koneko is so close to zero it's not even worth considering.

"I agree, but just because we know that doesn't mean Koneko does." Sona sighed while adjusting her frames. "Remember Shirou, that Koneko was already abandoned by her family once before. You don't go through something like that and expect to emerge unscathed.

"I've read that foster or adopted children tend to behave in one of two extremes when their first taken in by a new family. They either misbehave whenever they can or religiously follow every rule down to the letter. Both reactions are caused by their fear of abandonment.

"The first group are so certain that they're going to be thrown away that they'd cause trouble to hasten the process, believing that it's better to be abandoned now rather than later, after they had gotten attached to the new family. It's supposed to hurt them less that way.

"Then there is the second group, who are so terrified of being abandoned again that they would do anything for that not to happen. They follow all the rules, obey every command given to them eagerly, just hoping and praying that they pleased their new family enough that they would want to keep them instead of throwing them away."

A silent and obedient Shirone, so eager to please, leaping to fulfill even at the smallest sign of a request, all the while utterly terrified that she'd be thrown away, returned back to that hellish prison where they found her.

Rage flooded my veins, forcing me to grit my teeth so hard they I could practically feel them bleed as I bit back my anger. Why was it that I could so easily picture it happening?

"Shirou, calm down." Even through my rage I could hear the exasperation in her voice. "Didn't I just tell you she'll be fine? That was a long time ago, things are not like that anymore. Look, she's not afraid of misbehaving in front of you is she?" Sona pointed out.

That actually gave me pause. "No." I answered, hesitantly shaking my head after thinking it through. "No, she's not."

Sona smiled up at me. "And that's why she'll be fine. If she's willing to act that way around you that means she feels safe. That no matter how badly she misbehaves or how much trouble she cause you that you'll never abandon her."

"Damn straight I won't." As if I'll ever let that happen.

"Then that's all you'll ever need to do to help her. She's healing Shirou, anyone that looks at her can see that. Just give her time. Wounds like that needs time to properly heal, try to rush it and you'll just end up making things worse. So let her heal, just be nearby to help her when she need it, and I'm sure Koneko will end up just fine."

Reluctantly, I nodded in agreement. I knew she was right of course, still, sitting back and just doing nothing but wait was never my strong point. Even if I knew that was the best thing I could do for her right now.

"Speaking of Koneko." Sona carried on. "I noticed you've been calling her Shirone. Why is that?"

I shrugged in reply, "She asked me to." Which was the truth.

After our talk on the rooftop I thought she'd have wanted everyone to start calling her Shirone. That, however, wasn't the case. Turns out she just wanted me to call her that. I had discovered, to my surprise, that she actually liked being called Koneko. It's just that she wanted to be called by her old name as well.

To her, both of those names were important. They were proof that she was loved. One gifted to her the day she was born, the other given the day she begun a new life. She treasures the both of them and refuses to give either away.

"Now then," I looked back down at Sona, "if you're done stalling, it's time for us to get going."

She tried glaring up at me over her glasses, but it had no more effect on me than it did the other times she had tried. "Did I mention how much I hate jocks?"

"Repeatedly." I cheerfully smiled back.

Bending down over her, I reached out and scooped Sona up around the waist. As I did so, I made sure to pick up her staff from where she had discarded it on the ground beside her.

Even without my Devil enhanced strength to aid me, I would have had no trouble carrying Sona. She barely weighed a hundred pounds, if that. Now this means that there are several ways I could have gone about carrying her.

I could carry her on my back like a child, slung her over both of my shoulders in a fireman's carry or even scooped her up in a bridal carry. As hilarious as the last one would have been, I choose an entire different method instead.

Scooping Sona up by her waist I carried her under my arm, tucking her to my side and under my shoulder. It reminds of how I once saw a parent carrying a misbehaving child, and with the height difference between us we probably ended up looking like that from afar.

"I would like to reiterate." Sona's face remained completely blank as I carried her down the path Shirone took towards school. "I don't hate jocks, I simply loath you so much that my hatred spills over to them by association."

"Sure you do." I grinned back as I made my way around a tree.

She twisted herself around in my grip so that she could glare up at me from where she hung off my side. "You're totally enjoying this aren't you?"

"Yup."

"Still sore about the whole chess thing?"

"Chess?" I repeated, trying to sound oblivious. "Now why would I be sore about that? I only lost to you 127 times in row? Not that I was keeping count anything. Why would I ever need to keep count when I have that giant sign in the Council Room to keep track of it for me?"

"I'll take that as yes then." She grumbled out as I ducked under a low hanging branch.

"Come on Sona. Don't be like that. Remember, you were the one who came to me asking for help."

"The _biggest_ mistake of my life."

"If you feel that strongly about it, I could always ask Serafall to train you instead." The instant the words left my mouth, I felt something clamp around my waist. I looked to find Sona staring up at me in terror with her arms wrapped tightly around me.

"Please, promise you'll never leave me Sensei." Her violet eyes were wide with dread as she desperately pleaded.

I raised a brow at their melodramatics. "Oh come on, she can't be that bad."

"Did she ever try to train you before?"

"Yes," I nodded as I walked around a tree, being careful to make sure Sona didn't bump into anything, "she taught me how to fly."

"And how did that go?"

I barely held myself back from flinching from the memory of that day. When Serafall told me we were going to a place to practice flying I expected for her to take me to a clear empty field or even over a lake, or if she was going to take a more sink or swim approach, to the rooftops at worse.

What happened instead was that I found myself standing on the edge of a cliff with my hands and feet bound tight together. Serafall, called this the 'Toad-Sage' training method. She then proceeded to boot me off the cliff.

The only thing I could remember afterwards was screaming my lungs off as the ground kept steadily getting closer and closer. Then the next thing I know I find myself buried six feet deep in a small crater. Fun-fact, turns out you don't actually end up making a man shaped hole when you crash into the ground.

Since then I made sure to avoid training with Serafall whenever I could. Her explanation, 'but it worked in the Manga' was not enough to convince me to try again.

"And how did that end up?" Sona asked.

"Brilliant," I lied through my teeth as I pushed another branch out of our way, "best teacher I ever had."

"She tossed you off the cliff didn't she?"

"Yes, yes she did." I replied, "There is a reason why I can't fly worth a damn. I take it she's done something like this before?"

"She did the same thing to Tsubasa and Tsubaki. It took me a while to figure out why, but I believe she wanted to teach them how strong a Queen's and Rook's defense can be."

I…never really thought of like that. Putting it that way, it did make a bit more sense. When I dragged myself out of the crater, only to find I hadn't so much as broken a single bone, I was more than a little stunned to say the least.

"Ok, I could see that. But why didn't she just say so?"

"Tell me, by any chance did my sister happen to have a camera on her?"

"Yes...she did." Now that I think about it, I do remember seeing a few flashes of light on my way down. At the time I thought it was the light at the end of the tunnel I keep hearing about so I ignored it.

"That's why. Don't be surprised if you find a few embarrassing pictures of yourself in the family photo album. Why do you think I refuse to even consider letting her train me or my Peerage? Maou knows that I have too many photo of my own in there. I'd even prefer training with that accursed staff than train with her." She then proceeded to glare at said staff. "How are you even carrying that thing so easily?"

"This?" I twirled the staff in my right hand a couple of times, "It's not that hard Sona, it's actually pretty light."

She shot me a deadpanned look, "Shirou, with the amount of magic I poured into it, that thing must weigh at least 200 pounds."

"And for any athletic Devil, that's light." I brought the staff around and whacked her gently on the head. "Not that you would know anything about being athletic, now would you?"

Sona rubbed the top of her head while glaring at me. "This, this right here is why I hate jocks. Muscle brained idiots, the lot of you."

I laughed at her antics as I continued carrying her back to school.

As our conversation died down, I decided to use the opportunity to examine the staff. Raising it up before me, I eyed the runes that was carved into its wood. There were hundreds of them, all linking together to form rings around the staff. Unlike the other runes I've seen before, these were tiny. The largest was barely half the size of my finger nail if that.

Despite how it looked like, these runes weren't there to help channel any spells. Not that Sona needed any help with her spells. While human magicians needed magical foci such staffs or wands to help them channel their magic, Devils could do it entirely with their mind. Any Devil that carried a wand or anything like it did it for purely cosmetic reasons.

But that was fine, the staff wasn't there to help Sona with her spell casting. Its purpose was to serve as a weapon. When Mana is channeled into the runes, they significantly increase the weight and density of the staff turning it into a potentially deadly weapon.

There was a reason why I taught Sona how to fight with a staff instead of a sword when she came to me for training all those weeks ago.

Sona's forte has always been magic, and nothing is ever going to change that. The amount of training she needed to turn into a truly competent swordsman would simply take too much time and be better spent elsewhere. So instead of trying to turn into something she's not, I decided to go with something that would complement her strengths instead.

The reason I gave Sona the staff was twofold. The first was to give her an alternative method to defend herself when her magic is not available to her. One that will not hinder her when she casts her spells. The second was to help her improve her physical condition.

Being a mage is not a good enough reason to slack off from her physical training. Due to her heritage, she has the potential to become truly physically powerful one day. And there is no way I'm going to let that potential go to waste. Swinging around a 200 pound staff an hour or two a day will make sure of that.

And the staff, unlike the sword, can be used in tandem with her spell casting. While it's true that the staff will not strength her spells in anyway, neither will it weaken it. Allowing her to cast as many spells as she want without having to discard or put away her weapon.

All in all, I think it suited Sona quite well.

The sound of fluttering wings filled my ears just as a shadow was cast over me, only for the both to disappear as I felt a familiar weight appear on my shoulder. I turned to find a black crow with a single blue feather over one eye perching on my shoulder.

It was Ingrid, one of the familiars to the Devil guards stationed around the city. Or more precisely, former familiar to the guards. The poor girl lost her partner recently, one of the few Devils that died when the Fallen attacked.

Thankfully for both her and my sake, she and the other crows that lost their partners have already found new ones, my new pawns. Turns out that those four had some kind of affinity to the birds and all of the crows took an instant liking to them.

"So," I began to scratch the top of her head as I spoke, "if you're here I guess that means that those four are here too."

Her nod was all the confirmation I needed. I swear ever since I recruited those guys into my Peerage they haven't left me alone in public for an instant. Every time we step out of the house I could feel them following me.

The only reason why I was able to notice was thanks to the bond between me and Evil Pieces inside of them, even then it was subdued compared to Asia and Xenovia that I had to strain to sense them.

And seeing that Ingrid is here, that means they've followed me to school, again. Who knew that ninja's could be so paranoid? Sometimes it felt that instead of bodyguards they were more like overprotective stalkers.

"I still can't believe you have Fallen in your Peerage."

"What's so hard to believe about it?" I asked Sona as we approached the school. I was starting to catch glimpses of the school's white wall between the trees. "You do know that Akeno used to be a Fallen too right?"

"Half-fallen." She corrected. "There is a big difference between someone who was born and raised as a human, and someone who was created and stood by the side of God before falling from Heaven."

"Point. I take it they're rare then?"

"While I'm not certain it wouldn't surprise me if they turned out to be the first of their kind to be reincarnated. Remember it's only been 200 years since the Evil Piece system was introduced. Considering how little time has passed since its creation, it's not surprising that no one had tried to reincarnate a Fallen into their Peerage before."

It's easy to forget what Sona is at times. There are instances like these, where we chat with each other on our way to school that I feel like she's nothing but another ordinary student. But then she goes and talks about centuries as if they were nothing but a couple a years , and like a bucket of cold water tossed on my face I remember, that she is anything but human.

"Speaking of Peerage, have you reconsidered admitting your newest Knight to the school?"

"No, Xenovia has no interest in attending school. And before you ask, Asia doesn't want or need any schooling either. Don't let her appearance fool you. While she make act like an airhead at times, that girl is scary smart. I wouldn't be surprised if she can sit a medical school graduating exam today and pass with flying colors."

"I see." Though she sounded rather cross, Sona decided to let the issue be. For now at least. I have no doubt that she'll bring it up again.

This has been a small sticking point between us for the last couple of weeks. Sona has always been a strong advocate for formal education. It was probably one of the key reasons why she allowed me to attend here despite the admittedly flimsy excuse I had when I first arrived.

So it didn't come as much of a surprise that she had been trying to get Asia and Xenovia to attend Kuoh Academy ever since she realized that both of them had never been to, let alone graduated from High school. That those two had no interest in attending was irrelevant to her eyes.

While I didn't lie about Asia being capable passing med-school, I neglected to mention that she was unlikely to pass the high school exams. While Asia was highly educated, her education has been a little…specialized. Anything outside of the sciences or medical subjects and she's more than a little bit behind her age group.

However when I asked her if she wanted to attend school, Asia outright refused. As she put it, she's had enough of being trapped in a small room all the time and forced to listen to the commands of old fuddy-duddies who didn't want to be there anymore than their students do.

Xenovia on the other hand was another matter. While she had no particular objection to going to school, she felt that her time was better spent training her swordsmanship and learning about being a Devil than studying mundane subjects like modern literature and calculus. That she was still having a lot of trouble getting a handle on her new sword didn't help either.

And if there had ever been any real chance of convincing Xenovia to go to school, it was gone the moment she found out that Asia wouldn't be attending. To say those two became fast friends would be an understatement. They've been practically joined at the hips since the moment they met.

While Xenovia getting along with Asia didn't come as much of surprise, that she got along with Gasper as well did. Well, sort of. When they first met Xenovia was rather unimpressed by his girly appearance to say the least, and promised to whip him into shape and turn him into a real man.

Gasper was rather enthusiastic with the idea…at least at first. Last time I saw the two of them together, he was running around the house screaming his head off while Xenovia chased after him swinging her sword every time he slowed down. She called this the 'Griselda training method'.

"We're here. Shirou you can put me down now."

Blinking, I looked around to find that we had arrived to the woods' edge.

"Ah, right. Sorry got a little lost in my thoughts there." I turned to look down at Sona. "Are you sure you can make it the rest of the way on your own? You couldn't even stand a minute ago."

"I'm sure I can manage. We're almost to the back entrance, and I'd rather not risk anyone seeing us, no matter how unlikely anyone being here this early."

"Well, if you're sure." I shrugged before gently placing her back down on her feet. She wobbled for a couple of seconds before steadying as she found her balance. Taking a moment to clean herself up, Sona straightened her clothes and whip over the grass that still clung to her, before she adjusted her glasses and began to confidently stride forward.

Only to end up falling flat on her face as her legs gave up beneath her.

I did not even bother trying to hide my smile as I knelt down next to her. "You look like you're having a little trouble there Sona. Are you sure you wouldn't want me to carry you the rest of the way?"

"Just shut up and help me you jerk."

* * *

><p>It was there but for an instant, a flash of colour that was gone just as quickly as it had appeared, disappearing back again into the shifting tides of the crowd. The glimpse I caught of it was too short for me to identify the source. But it was enough, I didn't need a second glance to know who it was. There was only one person I knew who had that particular shade of red.<p>

It had barely been a couple of minutes since the first of the morning classes had ended and already the hallways were jam-packed, filled with the bodies of both students and parents alike. Their footsteps filled the background with a never ending beat, intermixing with the sound of their chatter as they created a symphony of noise that could be found anywhere that large groups of people gathered.

Normally the corridors would have been empty at this time as everyone rushed to get to their next class but in consideration to all the families visiting today, the school decided to shorten the lessons to half their usual time, allowing the parents a chance to interact with their children and their teachers.

I had been walking through the crowds looking for Ilya, my height advantage allowing me to look over the heads of both the students and parents with ease as I searched for her. It was then that I had caught sight of that familiar crimson-red hair.

I didn't bother to confirm my suspicion, there was no way it could have been anyone else, not with my luck. So instead of continuing down the corridor, and closer to him, I turned back around and frantically started to look for a place to hide in.

I knew I had to get away now before he saw me, so when I finally spotted a possible hiding place, I did not hesitate. I lunged for door of the janitor closet, leaping towards it like a hero from some action movie diving for cover, moving as fast as I could without breaking human limits. The moment my hand touched the handle, I yanked it down and pulled the door open before quickly slamming it shut behind me when I slipped in an instant later.

Turning around, I backed away from the door until I hit a wall, making sure to keep both eyes on it, looking for any sign of him coming in after me. However, the door remained motionless, and other than the noise of the crowds spilling into the room and the rhythmic pounding of my heart racing in my chest, I could hear nothing else.

After a tense minute passed, followed by a second minute and still nothing happened, I finally allowed myself to believe I've gotten away. Releasing a breath I didn't even realize I was holding, I relaxed, my whole body slouching in relief.

Still, even though it looked like I got away without being spotted I decided to stay put for the time being. While it was only a small chance, it was better to safely wait here for a little while longer just in case he was still wandering around out there. And it was then, just as I was settling in for the wait, that I noticed that I wasn't the only one in here.

"Yamato-Sensei?" I gaped at my balding chemistry teacher. He was pressing his back flat along one of the walls of the room, squeezing his eyes shut in some apparent childish attempt to remain hidden from view. "What are you doing in here?"

"Emiya?" He opened his eyes and blinked in surprise a couple of times before pushing himself off from the wall and peering blindly around him. "Emiya, is that you?" It took me a moment to realize he was having trouble seeing me in the darkness of the closet.

"Yes, it's me Sensei." I made sure to raise my voice as I answered so that he could tell where I was.

"Oh, thank god." I watched as the normally jolly teacher slumped forward in relief. "Don't scare me like that Emiya. My heart isn't as young as it used to be anymore."

"Sorry Sensei, I didn't know anyone else was in here." And wasn't that the truth. Yamato-sensei was a rather eccentric teacher compare to most but he a good one and well like among the student body. But for all of his oddities I never thought I'd ever find him cowering in a janitor closet. Even for him that was more than a little unusual. "Sensei, if you don't mind asking, what are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and used it to wipe the sweat off his brow. "I'm hiding from Shitori-san."

"Shitori?" That name sounded oddly familiar but I had trouble placing it, and it took me a second to recognize where I heard it before. "Wait, you mean Sona?" I question and the teacher nodded in return.

Shitori was apparently the Japanese version of Sitri. Sona believed it would help her blend in better if she had a native sounding name and altered her clan name so that is both sounded Japanese and can be spelled with Japanese characters.

Still, even though I figured who he was taking about his answer did nothing but confused me even more than I already was. What does Sona have to do with all of this?

"Why are you hiding from – oh!" Catching sight of a brown stain on the front side of his shirt, I started putting the pieces together in my head. "You spilled some coffee on your shirt again didn't you?"

Now things are beginning to make more sense. Sona has always been a stickler for the rules and tended to enforce them with an iron fist. And if what I had seen was anything to go by, she was even stricter with the teachers than students as I had quickly discovered since my arrival. Almost from the very first day I was here I could tell that the teachers were absolutely terrified of her. Now that I think about it, this isn't the first time I've seen a teacher leap in terror into a janitor closet when they see her walking in their direction.

Really though, aren't they taking things a little bit too far? I never understood why they were so scared of Sona. If they wanted to meet a teenage girl they can rightfully feel terrified of I could just introduce them to an angry Rin. Or Ilya for that matter. Sona was a teddy bear compared to Ilya when she has one of her temper tantrums.

"Yes, yes I did. Sitri-san's reprimands are rather harsh on a normal school day. If she spots me like this when there are parents about she'll be furious." He froze for a second, blinking a couple of times before he peered intently up at me. "Hmmm, you must have remarkably good eyes Emiya. It's so dark in here that I can barely even tell you're there but you had no trouble spotting a stain on my shirt. Remarkably good eyes indeed."

This was one of the reasons why Yamato was so well liked. Other than his amiable personality, he was also ridiculously sharp at times. "Chalk it up to good genetics, Sensei. I've always had good eyesight for as long as I could remember."

Fortunately he decided to drop the topic, as he backed off and looked around. "And you? What are you doing in here Emiya? I don't believe it's normal for students to hide in closets, unless it's some kind of new trend that I've yet to hear about."

"Hiding from a family member of one the students. I have a, I guess you can call it an unusual relationship with him and would rather avoid making a scene."

"Say no more my boy, I understand." He nodded knowingly. "I have seen my share of fights break out between students during my time as a teacher, and there is no shame in hiding if it means avoiding trouble."

"Like you're doing right now Sensei?" I pointed out.

Instead of taking offence, Yamato just cheerfully laughed. "Exactly Emiya, exactly. Now, I'll tell you what." He leaned forward and motioned me to the same.

"I'll make a deal with you," he whispered in a quiet voice, even though there was no one in here that could overhear us, "how about we keep this little incident between you and me. You don't tell anyone you found me in here and I'll do the same for you. Deal?"

"Deal." I nodded back, more out of amusement than any real need to keep my presence here a secret.

"Good, good." He cheered out while leaning back. "Now how about we take a look outside and see if our pursuers have left, shall we?"

Yamato then walked up to the door and slowly cracked it open, just an inch, before peeking out through the gap. Apparently finding nothing to be concerned about, he widened the gap and stuck is head out. A moment later he pulled his head back in and turned to me, "Looks like the coast is clear Emiya. I'll be heading on now. I expect I'll to see you in class later on. And remember, keep this just between the two of us."

"I will Sensei. See you in class."

Then with a cheerful wink goodbye he was gone, slipping through the door and blending seamlessly with the crowds outside.

The moment I was sure he was gone and out of hearing range I broke down laughing. Really, it was amazing how many bizarre situations I kept on finding myself in. Sometimes I wonder whether this whole universe had always been this insane or was there just something about me that made the world go crazy the moment I had arrived.

Then again, I don't recall anything like this happening to me before Serafall brought me into this world, so I guess there was just something about this universe that made all of it's inhabitants act crazy.

After the fire, except for my studies in Magecraft, I had a completely normal life until the start of the Holy Grail War, with nothing particularly odd or unusual occurring. Not like my life has been since I got here.

I mean here I have a school filled with Devils and teachers hiding from their students in closets, while back home my old school was completely run of the mill ordinary. It was made up of completely normal teachers and student.

Well, expect for my social studies teacher who turned out to be an emotionless assassin that was trained from childhood to become the ultimate killing machine in human form and had the raw skills to match Servants in combat. And then there was Rin who was the heir for one of the oldest family of magus in Japan and a skilled genius in the art of magecraft to boot, talented enough become one of the greatest magi of her generation.

And there was Shinji of course. And…and…and holy crap it was me! It was me wasn't it? This world isn't crazy, it just happens to go crazy around me. Does this mean that all the insane stuff that's been happening around me is my fault? That normal people don't have to go through all the crap I have to do all time?

I…I don't know how should I feel about that. Does this mean I am some kind of trouble magnet? Or am I just the source of all chaos and madness in the world the same way that Angra Mainyu is the source of all evil? Is that why magical girl Devils and cross-dressing vampires keep popping up, because of me?

Stunned by that revelation, I blankly walked out of the open door of the janitor closet, shutting the door behind as I left the room in pure reflex, and joined the crowds of wandering students. And it was then, lost in my thoughts as I pondered this possibility, that I made my mistake.

If I hadn't been so engrossed in my own thoughts, I might have noticed the footsteps that were quickly approaching me from behind. If only I hadn't been so amused by Yamato-Sensei's behavior I might have realized that he didn't know who I was hiding from and thus could not have possibly known if he was still lurking outside.

But I didn't, and by the time I realized what was happening it was already too late. I was caught.

A pair of arms encircled me from behind, far stronger than limbs had any right to be, trapping my arms to my side as they closed around me before lifting me straight off my feet.

"Queenie!" The owner of the arms called out from behind.

It was a rather cheerful voice, one filled with genuine warmth and joy as it spoke to me. It was also a voice that I learned to utterly _loathe_ over the last several months.

Damn it all to hell. "Hello, Sirzechs." I muttered out in a completely emotionless tone, knowing better than to try and fight his hold. I was so close to getting away too. "Could you please put me down?"

"No," Instead the arms hugged me even tighter, "it's been so long since we've last seen each other and I missed you."

I resisted the urge to sigh, knowing it will just encourage him, and tilted my head back so I could get a better look at him. "I'd tell you to go to Hell Sirzechs but I fear you'd feel right at home there."

"Oh come on," The fully-grown man pouted like a petulant child, but I didn't buy it for second, not with the way his aqua-blue eyes glimmered with amusement, "don't be like that. I know you missed me too."

"Like a heart attack." I deadpanned and, to my growing ire, the Devil just laughed.

This time I did sigh as I resigned myself to my fate. There was no getting away from him now, not when he was in this mood. So instead of fruitlessly continuing my efforts to try and escape, I took a moment to examine the man that was lifting me off the ground in an over enthusiastic hug.

He was tall, topping even my height by at least a few inches. The crimson hair his clan was famed for fell down from his head, ending at his shoulders, giving him a rather noble appearance. Blue eyes shone out from a handsome face, filled with such joy and open kindness that, along with his cheerful smile, made you instinctively want to trust him and smile right back. A thin scar ran down one side of his chin but instead of blemishing his appearance it added to it, giving him a sense of character.

It was hard to believe that this was the face of a Devil. Not when he laughed so openly, but I knew better than anyone what he was. This was Sirzechs, the Lucifer himself. This was the Lord of the Demons and the strongest living Devil, one of the true rulers of the–

"Sirzechs stop pinching my cheek." I muttered out, as my line of thinking was derailed by Sirzechs reaching out and pulling on my right cheek. He stretched it out as if I was a baby, causing my words to come out slightly slurred.

Oh and there is one thing I had forgotten to mention. Despite how much I _loathed_ him, and I made it no secret that I did, Sirzechs _absolutely_ adores me.

"But Shirou," he snickered, "you so look cute when you're thinking like that I couldn't help it."

…I'll kill the bastard.

"There are no words Sirzechs," I calmly began, "not in all the spoken languages of man, nor in heaven or hell, that can adequately describe how much I despise you."

"Ohh~," The bastard cooed, actually cooed at me as he began poking my cheek, "I love you too you little tsun-tsun you."

"…For that Sirzechs, for that, I shall entice your people to rebel against you. Flaming their hatred of the status qua and the injustice of the Underworld, filling their ears with sweet promises of a better future. Once the fires of rebellion has spread far and wide I shall then gather the uprising populace and arm them with weapons out of legends, blades and spears that can topple entire armies. I will then lead them to your castle and there we will tear down its walls, sending them crashing down around you, while marching over the corpses of every man, women and child that stand between you and us when we do. Then as you stand surrounded by the fallen remnants of your broken army, I will topple you from your throne and ascend as the new Maou, the new Lord of all Demons. And then as I look upon your defeated and broken form, after I had taken everything you know and love from you, you will ask me 'why, why did I do this' and I will answer, 'tsun-tsun', before stomping on your balls. Hard."

And instead of cowering in fear and terror from my coming vengeance like he rightly should have, the bastard laughed, breaking down in a fit of laughter instead.

Wrapping his arms around his waist he bent double in laughter, releasing me as he did so. I landed lightly on my feet, and before I had so much as a chance to contemplate escaping I felt Sirzechs drape an arm around my shoulder and pull me in a one-armed hug.

"See, this is why I missed you so much." He wiped a tear from his eyes as his laughter finally began to taper off. "Now, speaking of being missed, I better hurry and get you back to your king. Who knows what she'd do to me if she finds out I've been hogging you to myself."

"You've seen Serafall?"

He nodded, "Of course, we arrived here together after all. As a matter of fact I was just with her until we split up a couple of minutes earlier. Oh, which reminds me." He gave me a friendly pat on the back. "Thanks for telling on us that the class visits were today. While I knew Rias was rather embarrassed having her family visit her in school but I never suspected she'd go as far as lying to us about it. If you hadn't told Serafall the real dates I wouldn't be here today, so thanks for that."

…I really shot myself in the foot with that one didn't I?

"Anyway we need to get going." Giving me a glance over his shoulder as he started walking away. "Knowing Serafall she's not likely to stick to one place for long, so we need to hurry before she disappears."

Giving one last longing look at the janitor closet, crushing my urge to dive back there and hide now that he had his back turned to me, I reluctantly began to follow Sirzechs through the crowd.

Despite how packed the corridor was, we had no trouble navigating through the mass of people. Whether it was due to his exotic appearance, his large build that towered over the average Japanese adult or some deep buried instinct that warned them what he was, the crowd parted before Sirzechs, people instinctively making way as he approached.

However the same could not be said about me. The moment Sirzechs passed by, the crowds surged back together, hindering my progress as I tried to follow him. It was as if I was the Egyptians trying to chase Mosses into the sea only to have the waters close back up around me. I had to stick close to his back if I wanted to avoid being swept up with the crowds.

"You know, I've been meaning to thank you." Sirzechs kept looking ahead as he spoke. It took me a moment to recognize that he had switched speaking from Japanese to Latin of all things, the magic in me seamlessly granting me a native understanding for the language.

"For?" I asked, switching to Latin as well.

"Rias." He answered. "I want to thank you for helping her."

"There is no need to thank me for doing my job Sirzechs. Protecting her was one of the reason you and Serafall sent me here for."

"No, that's not what I meant." He shook his head, still not turning around. "Rias, she's well, she's not like me. Not just her but her entire generation is completely different than mine. Or any generation for that matter.

"We Devils, we have always been living in a time of unending war. We were raised in a world were death and violence was common place. Where we were taught to never get too attached to anyone, so that it wouldn't it hurt so much when the time came to bury them. And the few times that we were not fighting were spent preparing for the next war, so they couldn't rightfully be called peace.

"When I was Rias's age, I was already knew I was going to end up fighting in a war. Knew that I might see all my friends get cut down in the battlefield long before their time. Be it the Civil War or Great War, war was unavoidable reality to me. I had been prepared for it since I could learn how to walk, just as my parents were and their parents before them as well. And that was how it was for everyone. Since the dawn of time itself Devils have always lived either in a state of war or with the threat of it hanging over their heads.

"I remember when I was a child I asked my father how long could a Devil live for. Do you know what he told me Shirou?"

I thought back to my lessons before answering. "If I remember correctly, the oldest recorded age of a Devil is approximately 14,000 years. Add or take a few centuries."

"That's correct, though it's closer to thirteen thousand than fourteen but that wasn't the answer I was looking for. What I wanted to know was our natural lifespans. How long could we live before succumbing to old age?" He shook his head, "My father did not know. He told me that no one did. There is a limit to our natural life-span that much is certain, but no one knows exactly how long it is. That's because there had never been a Devil who got to live out the entirety of their natural life. We were always killed long before our time. Be it on the battlefield or off it, our lives always found their end on the edge of a blade.

"But things are different now. For the first time in our history we are living in an era of peace. For the first time, entire generations of children are born not knowing or living under the constant fear of war. These last 200 hundred years are by far the longest period of time Devils have lived in peace. And it was wonderful.

"Our children are living a carefree and happy childhood, something that was denied to me and all that came before me. Never before could parents love their children so unconditionally and not fear their hearts being broken when the time came to bury them. We were finally allowed to shower them with all the love and affection that our parents could not afford to give us.

"And in the end it made them kinder. The happiness of their innocent childhood has made this generation far more caring and compassionate than any that came before it. And I believe that to be a good thing. While some say it had made them soft, too soft, perhaps that is exactly what our race sorely needs. Our lot has always been a cruel species. Too harsh and uncaring for the fates of others, and look where it has gotten us. Nothing but endless war after endless war. So maybe it is time to try something different.

"Yes, it was good thing, maybe even something wonderful…but it came at a price. One no one had seen coming. Even I could not see it at first, so tiny was the change but with every passing years the truth had only continued to become more apparent. Each passing decade made it a little harder to ignore, until it reach the point that it was impossible for me to deny anymore.

"There was something wrong with our children. Something that is supposed to be there that was missing. A certain fire, a burning hunger that had always been a part of Devil kind as surely as the wings on our back, was gone. Burned out like it was never there. It was then that I truly began to comprehend our folly. That in our efforts to give our children the happiness that was denied us, we took something away from them, something essential.

"Ambition. The new generation of Devils are…_content_.

"They do not hunger for anything, they do not long for anything, and most importantly they do not strive for a better world or even a better future for themselves. They are simply satisfied with their lot in life and content with what they have.

"Without it, it has made me realize that we Devils do not know how to raise our children in a time of peace.

"During the Young Devil's Gathering, the participating Devils are expected to publicly declare their future goal, a single target that is to become their ambition in life. Do you know what Rias answered when I asked her what she planned to say in this year's Gathering?"

I shook my head, before realizing that he couldn't see me, "No idea."

The next thing I know I found my face bouncing off Sirzechs back as he abruptly stops walking.

"She told me she wanted to become the next Gremory Head." He turns around to face me. "She basically admitted that her greatest ambition is life to become something that was already promised to her from the moment she was born.

"And the others her age are no different. Every year we hold Young Devil's Gathering I hear the same thing over and over again. Become the Clan Head, uphold the clans' honor or even something equally asinine such as winning all of their Rating Games." He snorted, "Not sure which is worse, wishing to achieve something that is already given to them or treating the Rating Games, which is supposed to be a simulation for war, as a children's game.

"When the Rating Games was first introduced, people treated it as if their very lives depended on the outcome. Today? They newest generation treats it like a national hobby. They cannot seem to understand what they learn during the Rating Games can save their lives one day.

"Perhaps it is because they have never seen the realities of war that they think this way. Perhaps we protected them too well, sheltered them from too many of life's hardships that they can no longer believe that anything bad can happen to them. Even when we try explaining it to them they fail to truly grasp what we're saying. Intellectually they know that the world is a dangerous place, but emotionally they cannot bring themselves to truly believe it.

"And you can see result of our folly simply by looking at the waning strength of the newly born children. There are less Ultimate-class or candidates with the potential to become Ultimate-Class among the Pure-Blood Devils born over these last 200 years."

"Sirzechs aren't you overstating things a bit?" I interrupted him. "You say Devils are getting weaker then what about Sairaorg? You yourself have said that you never even heard of a Devil become so powerful at such a young age, not since you and Ajuka were kids yourselves."

"Exactly, look at Sairaorg." He nodded triumphantly, as if I had proved his point. "Deprived the happiness the rest of his peers were showered with. Rejected by his father, his birth right stripped away from him and even a mother's loved was denied to him with lady Misla's passing. And what happens? He becomes the strongest Devil in his generation, perhaps the strongest since the birth of the Maous.

"And what is it that separates Sairaorg from the rest of his Peers? Ambition. What was freely given to others he had to fight for? Power that was granted to other children at their birth he had to claw tooth and nail for even the smallest of scraps. The difference between them Shirou, is that he was hungry for it while the others weren't.

"And that is why I want to thank you."

"Come again?" I blinked back in confusion, not even remotely understanding how the topic we were talking led to him thanking me.

"Rias used to be the same as the others, content with her lot in life. But after Kokabiel's attack something's changed."

I snorted. "That had nothing to do with me Sirzechs. Anyone who comes that close to dying would naturally change."

"No, that's not what I meant." He shook his head. "A few days after the attack, Rias came to me and asked me a rather peculiar question."

"And what did she ask?" I prompted him when he paused.

"What it means to be a King."

For a heartbeat I was no longer standing there in that school, the walls of the hallway fading away along noise of the crowds, replaced by fields of never ending green, stretching far father than the eye could see.

She was there, standing right before me. Clad in blue and silver armour, she gazed resolutely ahead, teal eyes locked onto the distant horizon. Hair swaying gently in the breeze, a sword held down before her.

Standing tall and proud, she was the perfect image of a King.

Then the moment was gone, the scenery fading away and I was back into the crowed hallway, the chatter and footsteps of people filling my ears.

"…I see." So that's what she saw in the light of that sword. To think, that out of all things she could have seen, she saw her.

"She's growing Shirou. She finally understands that she is lacking something. That there's something that she needs to gain before she can truly call herself a king. And I have you to thank for that." He held his hand out for me to shake.

I hesitated for a moment, reluctant to even do that much, before I grudgingly reached out and grasped his hand with my own.

He was sincere in his thanks, this I knew for certain. His words held no lies, no deception, just honest gratitude. In fact, I don't think I had ever seen Sirzechs lie, to me or to others. Even the brotherly affection that he treats me with was no act, but genuine.

And maybe, had circumstance been different, I could have learned to like him. With his friendly demeanor and natural charisma it would have been hard not to. Maybe if I hadn't known what he really was, if I hadn't seen him in his true form I would have not hated him so.

But I did.

I saw who he really was, what he really was. I know what lays hidden under that thin veneer of humanity that he wears like a second skin.

And that is why, not matter how kind his smiles are or how friendly his laughs, I never allowed myself to forget that I was shaking hands with a monster.

* * *

><p>"Eh? Aniki! Is that you?" Saji called out in surprise from somewhere behind me. I ignored him, hoping he'd leave me alone in my shame and misery. Unfortunately he didn't. I heard him tentatively approaching me, his footstep echoing off the tiled floor, before halting only a couple of meters away. When he spoke again he sounded more than a little confused, "Umm, Aniki…what exactly are you doing?"<p>

"Face-walling." I answered him, the words coming out more muffled than I would have liked. Though that was only to be expected, seeing as I had my face pressed flat against a wall.

"Oh…Ok." He sounded even more baffled by my response than my actions. "Umm…Aniki, if you don't mind me asking, why exactly are you face-walling?"

"Because sometimes a face-palm just isn't enough." Truer words have never been spoken.

"…Sorry Aniki, but I have no idea what you're talking about."

Lifting my face off the wall from where I had slammed it a minute earlier, I turned around, resisting the urge to kick a snickering Sirzechs as I did so, and pointed straight down the corridor to where a large group of people had gathered. Flashes of light and clicking of shutters made it clear that they were all snapping pictures.

Quickly, before I could catch sight of what they were photographing, I slammed my face back onto the wall. While it did nothing to block out the sounds of what was happening, at the very least it prevented me from witness the event. And by the dead God did I not want to see it happening. My battered Pride can't take the shame of it all.

After another round of a shutters going off, one of the nearby photographers whooped for joy before yelling out, "Yes! I think I just got a panty shot!"

Without command my body reacted. Reinforcing my limbs to the limit, I spun around, projecting a throwing knife into my hand as I did so. Then, with a flicker of movement too fast for the human eye to follow, I threw the knife straight at the pervert's camera.

Needless to say it was a perfect strike, the tip of the blade piercing all the way through the digital and rather expensive looking camera, knocking it out of its owners hand and onto the floor in a shower of sparks and twisted wires.

By the time the camera hit the floor the knife was already gone, dispelled now that its job was complete, leaving no evidence behind on what just occurred.

All this happened in what was less than a tenth of a second.

"Hey! What the hell!" The owner of the now ruined camera dropped to his knees, staring with uncomprehending eyes at what remained of his camera. Gingerly he picked it up, cradling it like a baby, only for it fall apart in his hands, "What happened to it?"

Sweet satisfaction filled me as I watched the pervert morn the destruction of his beloved camera. However any satisfaction I felt quickly disappeared, replaced with regret. Not that I regret destroying the camera, because I certainly didn't, just the consequences of doing so.

By tossing the dagger, I had been forced to look at the direction of where the cameraman stood within the crowd and by doing so I had been giving an unobstructed view of what had captivated the crowd's attention.

And how I wish I didn't.

Twirling the pink wand like a baton, she spun in place, sending her equally pink and white clothing trailing after her. She laughed with utter glee as the flashes of camera erupted like stars about her. Black and pink stripped socks reached up to her thigh where it was met by an indecently short skirt. Her shirt to was too small, ending several inches before her waist, revealing her toned stomach freely to the world.

Her blue eyes glimmered with joy as she continued to pose for her audience. Her long raven locks were tied into twin ponytails, held in place by pink ribbons, and on top of her head rested a pink and yellow hat.

I felt my legs give way beneath me, sending falling down onto my knees in despair, while I continued to watch on. I wanted to look away, I really did, but I could not tear my eyes from the sight. It was like gawking at a scene of an accident or a dead body. Even though you don't want to, there is something so horrible about it that leaves you with no choice but to watch.

This was my King, lord and master. The one who I had willingly surrendered my soul to and by doing so had given her both my eternal loyalty and servitude. Only she had the authority to command my sword. And not for the first time, I had to wonder if Archer ended up getting the better bargain by contracting with Alaya instead. What was an eternity of misery and suffering compared to this?

How can I ever show my face in public again? Maybe Gasper had the right idea all along? I wonder if he still has that paper bag of his and if he was willing to lend it to me?

"Aniki?" Saji walk up to stand next to my kneeling form as he too goggled in disbelief at the sight. "Is that who I think it is?"

"Yes." There was no mistaking Serafall for an ordinary human, not with the amount of power pouring out of her. Even suppressed Saji should have no trouble sensing it. And there is only one person in the entire of the supernatural world that would willingly dress up like that in public. "That is who you think it is."

"You and the others weren't kidding. All this time I just thought you were pulling my leg all those times you said Kaichou's sister was a magical girl." His eyes widened with shock before her cried out. "Holy shit! The Devil really is a magical girl! How did that happen?"

"Believe me Saji," even as I pushed myself back onto my feet my eyes remained riveted on the scene before me, "I've been asking myself the very same thing every day since I became a Devil."

"Saji, what's going on? Why haven't you done anything about this disturbance yet?" A stern and familiar voice called out.

Sona, appearing from just around the corner, quickly began walking towards us with quick effect steps, and unlike the last time I had seen her she had cleaned up considerably. Her hair was straightened out from the tangled bird's nest it had been this morning, free from the grass that had plagued it. Her uniform was even more immaculate than it usually was, so straight and crease free that even a drill sergeant would have trouble finding fault in it.

As soon as she came with easy talking distance Sona began speaking. "Saji, I thought I-"

"So-tan~, found you!" And that was all the warning we had before a pink blur streaked right towards her.

Sona barely had time to widen her eyes in disbelief before she was tackled from behind. She staggered forward for a couple of paces as two arms latched around her, embracing her in a hug. "Hahahaha, at last, at long last I'm back with my So-tan!" Serafall cheered as she rubbed her face on the back of Sona's head, her face filled with nothing but pure bliss.

Sona on the other hand looked anything but happy. Her face had paled, turning stark white, while her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. She stared straight ahead in horror, unwilling to look around, as her mouth kept closing and opening but no words came out. Finally she swallowed before mechanically turning her head to look around behind her, sweat pouring down her face all the while, "O-O-Onee-san?"

"Mou~, So-tan." Serafall pouted at her sister, "How many times must I tell you to call me Onee-chan. Or Onee-sama. Oh or better yet, call me Onee-chama. Yes, Onee-chama would be best." She squealed before burring her face back into Sona's hair.

"O-Onee-sama." Sona flushing, tried to break out of the hold she was trapped in but Serafall was clinging to her tighter than a limpet and wouldn't let go. "What are you doing here? I thought you said you were coming next week."

"I know! Isn't it great that I get to see you so early?" Serafall pulled back a little so she can get a better look at Sona, "And to think I almost missed it thanks to a mistake. Luckily, Shi-chan called me last night to tell me the class visits were today. Isn't that great?"

Sona whipped her head around to me so fast that I wouldn't be surprised if she had gotten whiplash. She shoot me a looked that was filled with complete betrayal, before her eyes narrowed as she began glaring at me. "Yes, great. I'll be sure to properly thank him for it later."

Now why didn't I believe her? Maybe it was the way she was subtly trying to grind my toes into dust with the heel of her shoe. A part of me felt that I kind of deserved it so I let her. Not like it was hurting me.

"Oh, speaking of which, Shi-chan." Serafall, with her hands still loosely wrapped around Sona, turned to me. "By any chances, are they yours?"

"Mine?" I furrowed my brow in confusion as I tried to think of what she was talking about. "Are what mine?"

"These." She cheerfully answered.

Her eyes never left mine as her hand shot out from her side, so fast that it caught all of us by surprise, streaking towards the shadows created by the space between the lockers beside us. A muffled scream could be heard coming from the shadows as her hand latched onto something. She slowly began to reel her hand back, pulling her unwilling victim along with it.

I watched as one of my Fallen-Ninjas was dragged out from the shadow. Serafall's hand was clamped around his mouth, muffling his screams even as he tried to pull away. It was clear he didn't come willingly, struggling and fighting every inch of the way as he was dragged out. He frantically clawed at the hand that held him while he dug his heel into the ground and desperately tried to fight free.

But it was useless, as no matter how much he hard he thrashed or franticly he struggled, he wasn't able to so much as budge Serafall's hand. It was as if he was a child caught in a hand of iron. In fact, she hadn't even bothered to look at him as her eyes remained locked onto mine the entire time.

"So Shi-chan, are they yours?" She asked with an upbeat smile.

How…how did she-! I mean I didn't even realize they were there and she just-!

I brought a hand up to my brow and started rubbing it as I felt my brain threaten to shut down. You know what? Never mind. I had seen Serafall do far crazier things that I deemed impossible so what's one more to the list?

"Yes they're mine." I watched as my pawn continued to ineffectually struggle in her grip, his muffled screams not abating in the lightest. Going by his eyes I believe it was Ramiel but with his face mask in place who can tell. "Now can you please let him go?"

"Sure." She cheerfully replied with a happy smile. But instead of releasing the Fallen turned Devil like I had expected, she turned to look at him before lifting him up until his eyes was level with hers.

"Hush little rabbit." She cooed, the smile she was giving him showed a bit too many teeth to be entirely sincere. Ramiel made the mistake of looking up at her, and the instant his eyes met hers he froze. The Fallen ceased all sign of struggling, his body falling absolutely still, as he stared up at Serafall with wide terrified eyes. He even held his breath, too scared to even breathe.

It was like a prey staring into the eyes of a snake, hypnotic, freezing them still with fear.

"There's a good rabbit." She chucked softly, her smile still in place. Ramiel not taking his eyes off of her for second, not is daring to look away. "Now, I don't like it when someone intrudes in the personal time with what's mine. So be sure to be far, far away whenever I'm around. Understand?"

Ramiel nodded his eyes up and down frantically, unable to move his head while it remained trapped in her grip.

"Good. Now run away little rabbit, run away." She cooed at him as she finally released her hold on him.

Ramiel didn't need to be told twice. As soon as he was freed he scurried away, tripping over his own feet in his haste and panic to reach a nearby open window down the hall. He leapt through it, not even bothering to open his wings in his desperation to get away. I heard a faint distant thump as he crashed onto the ground followed by the sounds of hurried footsteps as he continued to run away.

Turning away from the window, I gave Serafall an exasperated glare who, all in all, looked entirely too pleased with herself.

"Did you have to do that?"

"Mou~ Shirou," she pouted, trying to sound stern, though the effect was entirely ruined by the way her eyes glittered in amusement, "you're far too soft for your own good sometimes. You need to learn how to become a little strict with your peerage. Just like my So-tan here."

Sona just sighed when Serafall reattached herself to her side, not even trying to fight her off as she resigned herself to her fate. She began rubbing her forehead in an effort to stave off a headache, a gesture that I was becoming intimately familiar with myself. "Onee-sama, please don't compare my disciplinary methods to yours. I don't send people fleeing in terror at the mere sight of me after all."

It took everything I had to keep a straight face when she said that. Not five minutes ago I had run into a teacher who had literally leapt into a closet at the mere sight of her. If that's not the pot calling the kettle black then I don't know what is. Like I've been saying, for all of their differences these two are remarkable alike.

"And at least be careful where you do things like that next time. What happens if someone catches you? I don't want to spend all my free time tracking down humans and erasing their memories just because you wanted to have a bit of fun." Sona glanced to where a group of people were gathered at the other end of the corridor. "We were fortunate that no one was watching this time, but next time you might not be so lucky to have such a convenient distraction."

Now that I think about it, she does have a point. Taking a look around us, I found that the entire half of the corridor we were standing in was suspiciously deserted. Other than us Devils, there was no one here. Even the people that were surrounding Serafall moments ago were gone, joining up with the other group in the opposite end of the hall instead of badgering her for more pictures. I could see a several flashes of light as they continued to photograph something in the middle of the group but I couldn't tell what.

"So-tan, you're wrong." Serafall released her sister to twirl her wand. "It's was not luck that saved me but the power of my fellow magical girl and student."

"Student?" Shooting her a wary look, I never heard anything about this. One Serafall is bad enough, I did not want to think about the consequence of her bringing about another one to the world, "Since when did you get a student?"

Serafall didn't get the chance to answer me, she didn't need to, as I ended up discovering the answer for myself. For at that very moment, the crowd began to shift then part slightly, leaving a wide enough gap in their numbers to grant me a clear view of what had captured their attention.

It was a sight that will haunt my dreams for many years to come.

She was dressed up in a pink and white costume, just a shade brighter than Serafall's. She twirled a yellow star-tipped red wand in her hand as the flashes from the cameras erupted all around her like fireworks.

She danced around in thigh high pink boots while her silver hair, adorned with two pink and white feathers, trailed after her. White gloves covered her hands, reaching to her elbows, while on her back rested a silk pink cape stylized to look like wings.

I watched in disbelief as Ilya, my lovable cheerful and only occasionally homicidal little Ilya, danced around in a magical girl costume while her audience cheered her on. Her red eyes gleamed like ruby under the light of the flashing camera as she laughed like a child that she appeared to be.

Oh no. Oh by the dead god no, please don't let it be true. Please don't tell me that...that...

_Ilya had become a magical girl!_

* * *

><p><strong>*Story End*<strong>

****Author's Notes:****

Yes, yes I did it. I turned Ilya into a magical girl. Honestly, what did you expect after leaving her alone with Serafall for two months.

Now for the rest of the chapter will get into the real meat of the story and allow us to see how Serafall and Shirou interact with each other along with several important questions being answered and secrets being revealed. I wanted to make it one big chapter but as you can see the chapter already got pretty big as it is. And there was still a lot of things I want to reveal too damn it.

And the results of the character poll are in. As I'm sure most of you had guessed that Kokabiel came in first, but what caught me completely by surprise is that Shirou came in second, beating Asia by one vote. You can't believe how happy that made me. I made a likeable protagonist. Yes!

Now, after receiving a PM that suggest I get one, I decided to start up a Forum, one than I'll open after I post this. Why a forum? Well partly because I believe it will help me in my writing, partly because it will allow me to answer some of the question people have about the mechanics of the world, and mostly because it sounded like a lot of fun to do. So be sure to pop in. (link on profile page)

Oh, and the official mascot of this story is the dreaded Wigglebut. All hail Miss Peanut Wigglebut. Somehow I know that she's going to end up as crowd-pleaser. And poor Shirou, will Asia ever stop giving him headaches?

And what did you think of Shirone's new personality. When I looked through the future volumes of DxD (I've read up to volume 4 btw before I simply couldn't read any more), I was sickened by how badly the author handled her character development. After her arc her personalty got completely ruined, everything about her character got changed and not for the better. Silent Kuudere characters like her need to having something going under the hood for them to be truly interesting (think Yuki Nagato) and so I decided to revamp her character into what I thought was her true personality. Did you like it?

Oh, about how Canon states that Devils don't train, I call BS on that. It literally makes no sense. For a culture were power equal rank there is no excuse for everyone not to train. They could just order their Peerage to train while they sit back and do nothing if they wanted to. I think that the author needed an excuse for why the main characters could win fights that they had no right winning so he just made this up as an excuse.

Oh, and for once I'm fairly confident that this chapter is mostly completely typo free. Not only did I have two betas go through it (Bigreader in The Omniverse & The Legendary Reaper) but I also got a program that will read out my work for me and spent 5 full hours yesterday double checking everything. (Note: I have been informed that there are still grammar mistakes...God damn it. Well, I tried. At least there are only minor ones compared to previous chapters.)

And...that's about it. I'll leave the rest of what I have to say in the next chapter.

So tell me what you thought of the chapter (Did you laugh? How did all the new characters like Sirzechs turn out?) and be sure to check out the forums.


End file.
